AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia X Secure Top Low-Cost Carrier Title in Asia for 2024

Published on May 28, 2024

AirAsia Group and its medium-haul affiliates, AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia X, have received the title of Top LCC in Asia for 2024 from AirlineRatings.com at the annual Airline Excellence Awards.

Founded in 2001 by Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and Tony Fernandes with just two aircraft, AirAsia has experienced remarkable growth over the past two decades, establishing itself as a leading player in the Asian airline industry.

Starting from Kuala Lumpur, AirAsia’s journey is a celebrated narrative of overcoming continuous external crises, adapting to varying regulatory and competitive landscapes, and challenging policies favoring national carriers. This journey has transformed the low-cost carrier sector within ASEAN and beyond, making air travel more accessible. Today, AirAsia operates over 255 aircraft to more than 165 destinations, with established bases in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Cambodia.

AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas said that the win was “richly deserved.”

“Renowned Founder Mr Fernandes, and his executive team including Group CEO  Bo Lingam as well as AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail have done an outstanding job guiding the airlines to their market dominant position.

“These airlines have made travel affordable for nearly 800 million passengers throughout Asia and Asia Pacific and they offer outstanding value and a great experience.”

Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A and Strategic Advisor to the AirAsia Aviation Group commented, “It has been an incredible journey of recovery, post the worst commercial aviation crisis the world has ever seen. We are thankful and humbled by this award which goes out to all of my airline CEOs and senior team members as well as to the many thousands of ‘Allstars’ who have gone above and beyond to bring us to where we are now. After surviving many odds, we have put in place the right foundations for significant growth and are about to embark on an exciting new journey with plans to fly to the majority of continents which is another pivotal moment in our reincarnation story.

“The proposed divestment of the AirAsia Aviation Group of airlines from Capital A to AirAsia X is on track and will be a game changer in the industry to ensure significantly more high quality, low cost air travel for short, medium and long haul flights connecting Asia and Asia Pacific to the world at the very best cost.”

Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group said: “AirAsia continues to push the boundaries on what it means to be a low cost carrier because low cost doesn’t mean low service for our airlines. As travel demand recovers to pre-pandemic levels, we have over 400 new specification aircraft on order to fuel our ambitious growth plans including flying to places we have never flown before, providing our guests with more value and choice, not only to and from Asia, but across the world. 

“Adding to the momentum building from our turnaround strategy, this award is a wonderful testament to the dedication and resilience of the AirAsia team and we thank the experts at AirlineRatings.com for their acknowledgement of our commitment to operational excellence across all that we do.”

Benyamin Ismail, CEO of AirAsia X, agreed “This is a strong recognition of the hard work put in by all of our team, to not only survive the extreme effects of the pandemic but come back stronger than ever before. 

“We look forward to the great opportunities posed by leveraging strong synergies from Capital A and the AirAsia Aviation Group which will unlock opportunities for our guests to enjoy the value we deliver as they  fly smarter in many of our medium to longer haul markets.

”Our ‘one airline strategy’ positions us as a formidable combined force towards being the leading low cost global network carrier connecting Asia to the world.”