Forbes Global CEO Conference 2025: Airline Tycoon Fernandes’ AirAsia Aims To Get Fleet Back To Pre-Pandemic Level By Year-End

ByYessar Rosendar,

Forbes Staff.

Airline tycoon Tony Fernandes said on Wednesday that his budget carrier AirAsia expects to add enough planes by the end of the year to get back to its pre-pandemic level as amid a continuing rebound in travel demand.

Fernandes, who’s long led AirAsia, talked about reaching the pre-Covid number on the sidelines of the Forbes Global CEO Conference in Jakarta. The company aims to have 220 operational aircraft by the end of this year, from 187 at the end of 2024, to cater to the strong passenger demand.

“We have 20 more planes to fix to get AirAsia back into where we were before Covid,” said Fernandes, CEO of Capital A, a holding company that controls AirAsia.