Tony Fernandes Says AirAsia Ready To Help With Vaccination Efforts

AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes said the company is looking forward to playing an “active role” in vaccination efforts. He also expressed optimism for the airline industry’s recovery after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today became the first person in the country to be vaccinated.

Fernandes said AirAsia’s logistics arm, Teleport, was ready to assist in any way, including by transporting vaccines from China and Russia when they’re available, and distributing them in countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and India.

He also offered the services of AirAsia pilots and cabin crew for the vaccination campaign, noting their first aid training and the fact that they haven’t been able to fly as much as before. “They can surely provide valuable help to the frontliners and this is what being unconventional is about,” he said.

Fernandes urged the public to embrace vaccination so that recovery is made possible for the tourism industry. He said the campaign provided the clearest, most tangible indication of when the pandemic will be brought under control and normalcy will return.

Eager to have AirAsia in the skies again, he foresees “an international air travel reset in the very near future” – thanks to global vaccination efforts, better education and testing, digital health passports, and other factors.

The AirAsia boss said that he intends to get vaccinated himself, and asked the public to trust scientists and experts, while rejecting misinformation about the vaccines.