AirAsia seeks licence to operate in Singapore amid rejections

 

AirAsia could get licences from other Asean countries, but ‘Singapore has blocked us all the time because it protects its airlines’, said Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes.

PETALING JAYA: 

AirAsia will not give up on securing a licence to operate in Singapore, despite having been rejected three times, said Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes.

Don’t block me in Singapore,

 he said.

“Three times we applied for an airline licence, three times we were rejected. We have airlines in Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

We could get (licences from) other Asean countries but Singapore has blocked us all the time because it protects its airlines,

 he said after the grand opening of Asia Digital Engineering’s 14-line maintenance, repair and overhaul hangar at KLIA.

Commenting on his post on Linkedln about the SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC), he said he has no problem with the company coming to Malaysia.

SIAEC had recently signed a 15-year agreement with Khazanah Nasional’s subsidiary company, Impeccable Vintage Properties, to lease two hangars at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang.

“The point is SIAEC is fine here, we support it … it’s good for the country, good for investments, and good for employees who want to leave.

If they have a better job (opportunity) they should go. This is a free market.

At the close of trading, Capital A’s share price was up 2.5 sen or 2.82% at 91 sen, giving the group a market capitalisation of RM3.90 billion. - FMT