AirAsia facts for kids

"Air Asia" redirects here. For other uses, see Air Asia (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids
AirAsia

Founded	20 December 1993; 31 years ago (1993-12-20)
Commenced operations	18 November 1996; 28 years ago (1996-11-18)
Operating bases	Johor Bahru Kota Kinabalu Kuala Lumpur–International Kuching Penang
Frequent-flyer program	AirAsia Rewards
Subsidiaries	AirAsia Cambodia AirAsia X Indonesia AirAsia Philippines AirAsia Thai AirAsia Thai AirAsia X
Fleet size	255 (including subsidiaries)
Destinations	166 (including subsidiaries)
Parent company	Tune Group
Headquarters	Kuala Lumpur International Airport Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia
Key people	Tony Fernandes (Group CEO of Capital A Berhad) Kamarudin Meranun (Chairman)
Revenue	RM 14.77 billion (2023)
Operating income	RM −918.88 million (2023)
Net income	RM 507.59 million (2023)
Employees	23,000 (2023)

Capital A Berhad, known as AirAsia, is a big airline company from Malaysia. It's famous for being a low-cost airline, which means it offers flights at lower prices. AirAsia is the largest airline in Malaysia. It flies to over 166 places in 25 different countries.

Its main base is at KLIA Terminal 2, which is a special terminal for low-cost airlines at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia. AirAsia also has sister airlines like AirAsia Cambodia, Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia, and Philippines AirAsia. These airlines have their own bases in different cities. Another airline, AirAsia X, handles longer flights.

In 2007, The New York Times called AirAsia a "pioneer" for making low-cost travel popular in Asia. For 14 years in a row, including 2023, Skytrax has named AirAsia the world's best low-cost airline.

AirAsia also sponsors sports teams, like the Malaysia national football team and the Singapore national football team. It used to sponsor Manchester United and the Asia part of Taylor Swift's Red Tour.

How AirAsia Started and Grew

Early Days (1993–2005)

AirAsia began in 1993 as a regular airline. It started flying on November 18, 1996. A government-owned company, DRB-HICOM, founded it.

In 2001, the airline was in debt. A businessman named Tony Fernandes and his partner Kamarudin Meranun bought it for a very small amount of money. They took over on December 8, 2001.

These partners quickly turned the company around. On January 15, 2002, AirAsia relaunched as a low-cost airline. It made a profit in 2002. AirAsia started new routes from Kuala Lumpur, offering very cheap flights.

In 2003, AirAsia opened another base at Senai International Airport in Johor Bahru. They began international flights to Phuket and Bangkok in 2003 and 2004.

AirAsia then started its partner airline, Thai AirAsia. They also began flights to Singapore and Indonesia. Flights to Macau started in 2004. In 2005, they added flights to China (Xiamen) and the Philippines (Manila). Later, they flew to Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, and Myanmar.

Growing Across Asia (2006–2023)

In 2006, Tony Fernandes shared a plan to make AirAsia even bigger in Asia. The goal was to connect all their current destinations. They also wanted to fly to more places in Vietnam, Indonesia, Southern China, and India.

With more flights and new routes, AirAsia carried 13.9 million passengers in 2007. This was a big jump from 5.7 million passengers in 2006.

AirAsia continued to grow in Asia. They launched Philippines AirAsia in 2012 and AirAsia India in 2014. They also tried to start an airline in China and Vietnam, but these plans did not work out.

In March 2020, AirAsia stopped flying because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They started domestic flights again in April 2020. International flights restarted in October 2021.

On January 28, 2022, the company changed its main name from AirAsia Group Bhd to Capital A Bhd. This was to show that they do more than just airline business. However, the airline part still uses the AirAsia name.

AirAsia's airplane looks over time

A Boeing 737-300 with its first look as a government-owned airline (1996–2002)

A Boeing 737-300 after it became a low-cost airline (2002–2005)

Airbus A320, a main plane for the airline since 2005 (2005–2008)

An A320 with an updated look from 2005 (2008–2012)

An A320 with its current colors (2012–2016)

An A320neo with the latest version of its current look (2016–present)

Recent Changes (2024–Present)

In January 2024, AirAsia X made a plan to buy AirAsia Bhd and AirAsia Aviation Group. This means that AirAsia Malaysia, Indonesia AirAsia, Philippines AirAsia, and AirAsia Cambodia will join under the AirAsia X name.

AirAsia's Offices

KLIA LCCT, where AirAsia's head office used to be

AirAsia's main office is called Red Quarters (RedQ). It is located at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Selangor. This is also where the company is officially registered.

The airline moved its main office to the new RedQ building on November 7, 2016. This building is very large, about 61,338 square meters (613,383 square feet). Before this, the main office was at the KLIA LCCT.

RedQ is designed to hold about 2,000 employees from AirAsia and AirAsia X. An AirAsia X flight attendant gave the building its name, "RedQuarters" or "RedQ".

AirAsia's Partner Airlines

AirAsia works with several other airlines. These are often called "affiliate" airlines.

AirAsia Cambodia

AirAsia planned to open a new airline in Cambodia in 2017. This was to help with more tourists visiting Cambodian cities. On December 9, 2022, AirAsia and Sivilai Asia agreed to start AirAsia Cambodia. AirAsia owns most of this new airline. It is set to start flying on May 2, 2024.

AirAsia India

AirAsia India was AirAsia's partner airline in India. It started flying on June 12, 2014. Its main base was at Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore.

In 2020, AirAsia thought about leaving India. Later, in 2022, the airline was sold to Tata Sons. It is now part of Air India Express.

AirAsia Japan

AirAsia Japan was a low-cost airline in Japan. It was based in Nagoya. It first started flying in August 2012. However, this partnership ended in June 2013.

AirAsia Japan was relaunched in 2014 and started flying again on October 29, 2017. But due to fewer passengers because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it stopped flying on October 5, 2020.

AirAsia X

AirAsia X handles AirAsia's longer flights. It keeps costs low by using a special ticketing system. AirAsia X also works with Virgin Group and Air Canada.

In 2007, Tony Fernandes announced plans for flights from Malaysia to Australia. AirAsia X started flying on November 2, 2007. Its first flight was from Kuala Lumpur to Gold Coast, Australia.

Indonesia AirAsia & Indonesia AirAsia X

Indonesia AirAsia is AirAsia's partner airline in Indonesia. It flies domestic and international flights from Indonesia. Its main base is at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta.

The airline started as Awair in 1999. In 2005, Awair changed its name to Indonesia AirAsia. AirAsia Berhad owns 49% of the airline.

Indonesia AirAsia X is another partner that handles long-haul international flights from Bali. It started its first flight in January 2015. It stopped regular flights in January 2019.

Philippines AirAsia

Philippines AirAsia is a partnership between Filipino investors and AirAsia. Filipino investors own 60% of the airline, and AirAsia owns 40%. The airline started on December 16, 2010, and began flying on March 28, 2012.

In 2013, it partnered with Zest Airways, another low-cost airline in the Philippines. Zest Airways was later renamed AirAsia Zest. In 2015, it merged with Philippines AirAsia.

Thai AirAsia & Thai AirAsia X

Thai AirAsia is a partnership between AirAsia and Thailand's Asia Aviation. It flies domestic and international flights from Bangkok and other cities in Thailand.

Thai AirAsia X is Thailand's first long-haul low-cost airline. It was planned to start flying in June 2014. Its first flight was from Bangkok to Incheon, South Korea, on June 17.

In May 2022, AirAsia started its ride-hailing service, AirAsia Ride, in Thailand. This service competes with other ride-hailing companies like Grab.

Where AirAsia Flies

Countries where AirAsia flies (January 2024)

The AirAsia Group flies to 165 places in 25 countries around the world. Twenty-four of these places are its main bases. Kuala Lumpur International Airport is the group's biggest base.

AirAsia's Airplanes

Current Airplanes

As of April 2024, AirAsia Malaysia uses these airplanes:

AirAsia fleet
Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers			Notes
Aircraft	In service	Orders	C	Y	Total
Airbus A320-200	69	1	–	180	180
Airbus A320neo	29	—	–	186	186
Airbus A321LR	—	36	–	–	–	Will be delivered starting in 2025.
Airbus A321neo	2	326	–	236	236
Teleport cargo planes
Airbus A321-200/P2F	3	–	Cargo			9M-TLA, 9M-TLB and 9M-TLP
Total	103	363

Private Airplanes

AirAsia Private fleet
Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers	Notes
Bombardier Global Express	1	0	13	9M-CJG
Total	1	0	13

Newer Airplanes and Growth

AirAsia used to fly Boeing 737-300 planes. Now, they use only Airbus A320 family aircraft.

AirAsia Airbus A320s lined up at KLIA Terminal 2 in September 2022

In June 2011, AirAsia ordered 200 new A320neos at the Paris Air Show. This was one of the biggest airplane orders ever. This deal made AirAsia Airbus's largest customer. In December 2012, AirAsia ordered 100 more Airbus A320 jets.

At the Farnborough Air Show in 2016, AirAsia ordered 100 A321neos. These larger planes would fly to airports with limited space. AirAsia got its first A320neo in September 2016.

In 2019, AirAsia ordered even more A320 aircraft. This made them Airbus's biggest customer for the A321neo model. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, AirAsia and Airbus changed the delivery schedule for these planes.

Old Airplanes AirAsia Used to Fly

An AirAsia Boeing 747-200 (N620FF) in 2000

AirAsia used to fly these airplanes:

AirAsia former fleet
Aircraft	Total	Introduced	Retired	Replacement	Notes
Boeing 737-300	32	1996	2009	Airbus A320-200
Boeing 747-200B	2	2000	2000	None	Leased from Tower Air
Boeing 747-200B	3	2003	2003		Leased from Air Atlanta Icelandic and European Aviation Air Charter.
McDonnell Douglas MD-11ER	1	1999	2000		Leased from World Airways

What AirAsia Offers

On Board Services

Chicken rice meal served on a flight from Malaysia to Singapore.

AirAsia offers a "Santan" menu on its flights. You can buy food, drinks, and other items. If you buy your meals before the flight, they are cheaper.

AirAsia follows certain rules based on Shariah principles. This means they do not serve alcohol or pork on most AirAsia group flights. However, AirAsia X flights do sell wine and beer.

Frequent Flyer Program

AirAsia has a program for loyal customers called "BIG". This program gives points to AirAsia customers. You can use these points to get discounts on AirAsia flights.

Awards and Recognitions

AirAsia has won many awards for being a great low-cost airline:

Skytrax
- World's Best Low-Cost Airline (2009–present)
World Travel Awards
- World's Leading Low-Cost Airline (2013–present)
- World's Leading Low-Cost Airline Cabin Crew (2017–present)
- Asia's Leading Low-Cost Airline (2016–present)

Flight Incidents

January 10, 2011: AirAsia Flight 5218 slid off the runway at Kuching Airport, Malaysia. All 123 passengers and six crew members were safe. The plane was damaged but later fixed.
July 7, 2014: AirAsia Flight 278 went off the side of the runway when landing at Brunei. Everyone was safely evacuated.
February 14, 2022: AirAsia Flight 5748 was flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Tawau Airport. The pilot saw a snake and landed the plane safely at Kuching International Airport. The plane was then cleaned.