Philippines AirAsia

Philippines AirAsia
IATA ICAO Callsign
Z2 EZD ZEST AIRWAYS[1]
Founded December 7, 2010 (2010-12-07)
Commenced operations February 7, 2012 (2012-02-07)
Hubs Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Manila)
Secondary hubs
Frequent-flyer program BIG[3]
Fleet size 16
Destinations 16
Company slogan Now Everyone Can Fly
Parent company AirAsia Inc.
Headquarters Pasay, Metro Manila
Key people
  • Marianne Hontiveros (Chairman)
  • Capt. Dexter Comendador (President & Chief Executive Officer)
Website www.airasia.com

Philippines AirAsia, Inc. (formerly Zest Airways, Inc. dba AirAsia Zest),[4][5] is a low-cost airline based at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila in the Philippines.[6] The airline is the Philippine affiliate of AirAsia, a low-cost airline based in Malaysia. The airline started as a joint venture between three Filipino investors and AirAsia Investments Ltd., a subsidiary of AirAsia Berhad.

The original Filipino group includes: Antonio O. Cojuangco, Jr., former owner of Associated Broadcasting Company/owner of Dream Satellite TV; Michael L. Romero, a real estate developer and port operator; and Marianne Hontiveros, a former music industry executive and TV host.[7] In 2013, a share-swap agreement with Zest Airways added Alfredo Yao of Zest-O Corporation as an additional owner of the company. Zest Airways was rebranded as AirAsia Zest and operated as a separate brand from AirAsia until merged into Philippines AirAsia in January 2016.[8]

History

Since section 10, Article XII of the Philippine Constitution does not allow 100% foreign ownership of a Philippine-registered business,[9] Malaysian investor Tony Fernandes entered into a 40-60 joint venture with a group of Filipino business people. The joint venture application was approved on December 7, 2010 by the Board of Investments of the Philippines.

On August 15, 2011, AirAsia Philippines took delivery of its first aircraft,[10] a brand-new Airbus A320 which arrived at Clark International Airport in Clark, Angeles City, Pampanga. On November 8, 2011, AirAsia Philippines took delivery of its second A320.

On February 7, 2012, the airline received its Air Operator Certificate[11] from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines which gives the airline permission to fly in Philippine airspace.

On April 8, 2012, Philippines AirAsia partnered with Victory Liner, one of the largest provincial bus companies operating in the Philippines, to provide free shuttle service for inbound and outbound passengers of Clark International Airport.[12]

An Airbus A320-200 of AirAsia Philippines over Singapore Changi Airport.

On March 11, 2013, an agreement was made between AirAsia Philippines to swap shares with Philippine-based airline Zest Airways. Zest Airways received a mix of $16 million cash and a 13% share in AirAsia Philippines, while AirAsia Philippines now owns 85% of Zest Airways, with 49% of its voting rights. The share swap also gives AirAsia Philippines access to Ninoy Aquino International Airport, allowing further growth of its route network. The deal closed on May 10, 2013, and in 2015, both airlines were formally merged to form Philippines AirAsia.[5]

On July 30, 2016, AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes appointed Capt. Dexter Comendador as the new CEO of the company. Comendador joined Philippines AirAsia in 2011 as director of Flight Operations, and was promoted to chief operating officer in 2015 before his appointment.[13] Comendador is also famous in the Philippine aviation community as one of the hero pilots of Philippine Airlines Flight 434 which was bombed by terrorist Ramzi Yousef in 1994.

Destinations

Philippines AirAsia commenced its operations in March 2012 utilising two brand new Airbus 320-200.

The airline has transported 3.99 million passengers in 2016 with an average load factor of 87%.[14]

Currently, the airline has 30 routes across 20 airports in the Philippines and Asia.

Fleet

The Philippines AirAsia fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of July 2017):[15]

Philippines AirAsia fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
Airbus A320-200 15 — 180
Total 15 —

Sports teams

References

  1. ↑ FAA ICAO Aircraft Company/Telephony/Three−Letter Designator and U.S. Special Telephony/Call Signs https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Order/7340.2G_Bsc_dtd_1-5-17.pdf
  2. ↑ http://philippineairspace.blogspot.com/2016/11/paa-to-make-palawan-4th-hub.html
  3. ↑ Join BIG! AirAsia BIG Loyalty Programme
  4. ↑ "Philippines AirAsia Organizational Structure". Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Philippines AirAsia: 7 Facts You Need To Know About the Name Change". Let's Go Sago. November 4, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  6. ↑ AirAsia launches Philippine joint venture | The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online
  7. ↑ "AirAsia insider: Marianne Hontiveros". Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  8. ↑ Agcaoili, Lawrence (May 25, 2013). "AirAsia acquires 85% interest in ZestAir". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  9. ↑ http://www.gov.ph/the-philippine-constitutions/the-1987-constitution-of-the-republic-of-the-philippines/the-1987-constitution-of-the-republic-of-the-philippines-article-xii/
  10. ↑ http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/news/provincial/11352-airasia-first-comml-plane-arrives-at-dmia-from-france
  11. ↑ TTG Asia - Leader in Hotel, Airlines, Tourism and Travel Trade News - AirAsia Philippines gets license to fly
  12. ↑ Navales, Reynaldo G (April 8, 2012). "Victory Liner, AirAsia provide free shuttle for Clark passengers". Sun.Star Pampanga. Sun.Star Publishing, Inc. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  13. ↑ http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/573068/money/companies/phl-airasia-names-comendador-as-interim-ceo
  14. ↑ "The Exciting Centennial of Philippine Aviation: Philippines AirAsia". The Exciting Centennial of Philippine Aviation. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
  15. ↑ "Philippines AirAsia Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
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