Tony Fernandes

Dato 'Anthony Francis Fernandes (born: 1964; short name: Tony Fernandes) is the founder of the "Tune Air Sdn Bhd", and employers are introducing low-cost flights to residents of Malaysia with the slogan, "Everyone can get on a plane". Fernandes became famous when he was recovering from an airline AirAsia is sick to a successful public company. Fernandes is also known for its role in achieving open skies agreements with the countries Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore, when he asked former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad did so in mid-2003. Upon request, the countries that have agreed to give landing rights to AirAsia and a low fare airline to another.

The pre-exploitation

Fernandez is a mixture of Portuguese Goa nation that was born in Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His parents are Dr.. Stephen Edward Fernandes (deceased), and Ena Dorothy Fernandes. At a young age, he always followed his mother, a businessman, to a Tupperware party and convention trade. After obtaining a university diploma from the London School of Economics in 1987, he worked briefly with Virgin Airlines as an auditor, and so on from 1987 to 1989, he became comptroller of Virgin Records, a company Richard Branson in London.


When he returned to Malaysia at the age of 27, he became the youngest managing director at Warner Music (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. Furthermore, from 1992 to 2001, he became vice president of Warner Music Group Southeast Asia. At Time Warner Inc. joined with America Online, Fernandes left the company to pursue his dream of establishing a low-fare airline. Unfortunately, the license application was rejected by the government of Malaysia.


The launch of AirAsia

Through the Datuk Pahamin A. Rajah, a former secretary of the high and Consumer Affairs Ministry of Domestic Trade Malaysia, Fernandes got the opportunity to meet with dr. Mahathir in October 2001. Just then, AirAsia, a subsidiary of DRB-HICOM was founded by a Malaysian government conglomerate, has suffered from the mortgage debt is too high. The government has tried to sell to investors without any success. Therefore, Dr. Mahathir advised Fernandes had to buy an existing airline rather than setting up their own. So, Fernandes memajak home and use the savings to buy the whole company at a price of one ringgit. AirAsia airline at that time had two old Boeing aircraft, and debt as much as RM40 million.
Purchase it at the time of the events after the Sept. 11, 2001 in the United States, a period tempoh the worst in the history of commercial aviation, causing many people argue that Fernandes has been a "crazy" kerana not many people at that time who dared to get on a plane.


They also predicted that AirAsia would bankrupt the company. However, after a year, AirAsia is able to explain the whole debt, and no longer suffer losses. AirAsia organizational realignment with new images and concepts that bring big changes and make profits in a short period. Offer of shares (IPO) in November 2004 received as much as 130% oversubscribed.


Fernandes was chosen bahawa time to buy airline AirAsia right. Since the events of 9/11, rents an airplane has dropped 40%. In addition, many experienced workers were found at that time, due to layoffs in the airline industry. Fernandes also believes that Malaysia will welcome passengers low airfares and tariffs in order to reduce the time, especially in tight economic circumstances. Therefore, he imitated the system Ryanair (Ryanair is also the system mimics that of Southwest Airlines in the United States), an Irish airline's most prosperous in the world. Ferdandes calculated that 50% of customers are low-cost airplane passengers flying the first time. Before starting the transport AirAsia low fares, Ferdandes estimates only 6% of Malaysia population who had boarded the plane.


Achievements and awards

Fernandes is the greatest achievement of the recovery of the airline AirAsia as an international airline. Before she entered this industry, the countries in South East Asia Region does not have any open skies agreement. In the mid-2003, Fernandes has asked dr. Mahathir's approval for the proposed reserves to Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. Top permintaanya, he gained success in getting landing rights, not only for AirAsia, but also for a variety of low fares airline to another.
Ferdandes also managed to revolutionize the aviation industry more through low fares airline. Now, there are several low-fare airlines in the region, namely:


Tiger Airways, an airline owned by Singapore Airlines Singapore;

Valuair from Singapore company incorporation, with JetStar owned by Qantas Airways of Australia;
Nok Air, an airline Thailand; and
Lion Air, an airline of Indonesia.


Fernandes has received many awards, including:
Visionaries & Leadership Series by the International Herald Tribune, a newspaper company in the United Syarikat, for the brilliant work in the airline AirAsia;


"Chairman of CEO Malaysia Year 2003" (Malaysian CEO of the Year 2003) in December 2003 - the highest award to a kind of kin is only awarded to nine employers Malaysia by American Express and Business Times. This award is given to Fernandes for the recognition of achievement and proficiency concession management is among the leaders of the various companies in Malaysia;


"New Entrepreneur Especially Malaysia Year 2003" (Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year - Malaysia 2003) in 2004;
"25 Stars of Asia" (25 Stars of Asia) by Business Week in 2005.