AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes says life is precious to him after the tragedy of QZ8501 that haunts him to this day.
PETALING JAYA: With the second anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 still casting a pall over Malaysia, AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes says the crash of QZ8501 that happened the same year, changed him for good and made him realise just how fragile life was.
Speaking to Singapore’s The Sunday Times at the Marina Mandarin last week after a talk at the Asean Leaders Series organised by the Nanyang Technological University’s Nanyang Business School, Fernandes said, “Seeing the fragility of life through QZ8501 has made me even more determined to do the best in whatever I do and take better care of myself.”
He also said it was important to “be positive” because life was great and that too many people took life for granted.
QZ8501, en route to Singapore from Surabaya, crashed into the Java Sea on December 28, 2014, killing all 162 passengers and crew on board. An official probe found that the system controlling the rudder – a part of the plane’s tail – had malfunctioned, causing the pilots to lose control of the plane.
“QZ8501 gave me a big impetus to try and make things better,” he said, adding that it made him take an active leadership role again after having decided to take a back seat a few years prior to the tragedy, a move he said he regretted.
“A leader needs to know when to step down. Sometimes, people overstay because they like the attention. I don’t need my ego massaged. At the moment, I think I’m still effective but the time will come to go,” he said, adding that he had successor in mind although he did not give any hint as to who.
Another issue close to his heart was that of the open skies policy for the 10-member Asean grouping, that was experiencing a bumpy ride at the moment.
“Asean needs to forget about consensus and just move on… If Indonesia at the moment does not see the benefits of open skies, then so be it… It’s just a matter of time before it does,” he said of the country having yet to ratify a deal that would allow all Asean states to fly freely within the region.
He also spoke of the current policy of having to apply for separate visas, and remarked how this was a hindrance to tourists. He said the matter could be easily resolved if Asean countries let their barriers down so that everybody could benefit.
“When people come to Asia, they want to spend two days in Singapore, three in Malaysia, maybe four in Thailand. Why make it difficult with so many visas to apply for?”
To criticism that he only wanted barriers down so big players like AirAsia could benefit the most from it, he said, “But what’s wrong with that? Are we not creating jobs? We pay taxes where we operate. We employ people there. Everyone benefits. What’s the downside?
“McDonald’s has definitely taken a share of the kway teow man’s business. Starbucks has killed kopitiams. I don’t see anyone complaining about that,” The Sunday Times reported him as saying.
Speaking to Singapore’s The Sunday Times at the Marina Mandarin last week after a talk at the Asean Leaders Series organised by the Nanyang Technological University’s Nanyang Business School, Fernandes said, “Seeing the fragility of life through QZ8501 has made me even more determined to do the best in whatever I do and take better care of myself.”
He also said it was important to “be positive” because life was great and that too many people took life for granted.
QZ8501, en route to Singapore from Surabaya, crashed into the Java Sea on December 28, 2014, killing all 162 passengers and crew on board. An official probe found that the system controlling the rudder – a part of the plane’s tail – had malfunctioned, causing the pilots to lose control of the plane.
“QZ8501 gave me a big impetus to try and make things better,” he said, adding that it made him take an active leadership role again after having decided to take a back seat a few years prior to the tragedy, a move he said he regretted.
“A leader needs to know when to step down. Sometimes, people overstay because they like the attention. I don’t need my ego massaged. At the moment, I think I’m still effective but the time will come to go,” he said, adding that he had successor in mind although he did not give any hint as to who.
Another issue close to his heart was that of the open skies policy for the 10-member Asean grouping, that was experiencing a bumpy ride at the moment.
“Asean needs to forget about consensus and just move on… If Indonesia at the moment does not see the benefits of open skies, then so be it… It’s just a matter of time before it does,” he said of the country having yet to ratify a deal that would allow all Asean states to fly freely within the region.
He also spoke of the current policy of having to apply for separate visas, and remarked how this was a hindrance to tourists. He said the matter could be easily resolved if Asean countries let their barriers down so that everybody could benefit.
“When people come to Asia, they want to spend two days in Singapore, three in Malaysia, maybe four in Thailand. Why make it difficult with so many visas to apply for?”
To criticism that he only wanted barriers down so big players like AirAsia could benefit the most from it, he said, “But what’s wrong with that? Are we not creating jobs? We pay taxes where we operate. We employ people there. Everyone benefits. What’s the downside?
“McDonald’s has definitely taken a share of the kway teow man’s business. Starbucks has killed kopitiams. I don’t see anyone complaining about that,” The Sunday Times reported him as saying.
-FMT NEWS-
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