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Beware Gojek and Grab, AirAsia to Launch a Ride-hailing services Too

Beware Gojek and Grab, AirAsia to Launch a Ride-hailing services Too
Illustration © unsplash.com

Budget airline operator AirAsia Group founder and CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes announced that it will soon be launching ride-hailing services, according to local media reports.

This move comes after the company launched a food delivery service in Singapore and the pilot trials for drone delivery service.

Understanding the potential comparison with existing ride-hailing giants such as Grab, Fernandes affirmed that AirAsia can become successful in this sector even with the heavy competition, citing history where the company managed to raise funding quicker than any other airline company.

“I don’t have a big shareholder like Khazanah (Nasional Bhd), okay? If you say that Malaysia Airlines is faster, of course, it is. Like who else? Singapore Airlines? They also have a big shareholder called Temasek. Name me a private airline that has been faster than AirAsia? It’s not easy to raise capital in the aviation business … The reality is, which private airline has received funding quicker than us or done a placement?” Fernandes told The Edge in an exclusive interview.

“I’ve got eight years of Grab doing it to learn from. I don’t have to waste all that money, with experimentation, building technology, training drivers, and training the market how to order, they have done it all for me,” he asserted.

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly caused a hit for the travel and hospitality sectors, which is the primary reason why AirAsia has decided to pivot its services.

Subsequently, AirAsia has also revealed plans to enter the fresh produce delivery market in Singapore where consumers can order imported fish from Japan or short ribs from Korea directly to their homes in Singapore within 48 hours.

Despite the startup making attempts to enter various digital spaces, another Edge report has revealed that the company is posted experience a bigger-than-expected net loss of RM2.44 billion (~US$580 million) for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2020 (4QFY20).

Commenting on the future prospects, AirAsia responded, “It is notable, however, that the Philippines doubled its passengers carried whilst Indonesia multiplied its number of passengers carried by 11 times quarter-on-quarter. This is a testament that for areas where travel restrictions are lifted, there is a solid domestic rebound for air travel,”.

“Even if borders remain closed, the group is well-prepared to rely solely on domestic operations alone this year,” it added.

Countries such as Singapore have also begun to prepare a comeback for their travel and tourism industry by collaborating with both local and global startups. These collaborations aim to create a safer travel and tourism experience for tourists in the post-pandemic era.

source: e27.co

Akhyari Hananto

I began my career in the banking industry in 1997, and stayed approx 6 years in it. This industry boost his knowledge about the economic condition in Indonesia, both macro and micro, and how to More understand it. My banking career continued in Yogyakarta when I joined in a program funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB),as the coordinator for a program aimed to help improve the quality of learning and teaching process in private universities in Yogyakarta. When the earthquake stroke Yogyakarta, I chose to join an international NGO working in the area of ?disaster response and management, which allows me to help rebuild the city, as well as other disaster-stricken area in Indonesia. I went on to become the coordinator for emergency response in the Asia Pacific region. Then I was assigned for 1 year in Cambodia, as a country coordinator mostly to deliver developmental programs (water and sanitation, education, livelihood). In 2009, he continued his career as a protocol and HR officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya, and two years later I joined the Political and Economic Section until now, where i have to deal with extensive range of people and government officials, as well as private and government institution troughout eastern Indonesia. I am the founder and Editor-in-Chief in Good News From Indonesia (GNFI), a growing and influential social media movement, and was selected as one of The Most Influential Netizen 2011 by The Marketeers magazine. I also wrote a book on "Fundamentals of Disaster Management in 2007"?, "Good News From Indonesia : Beragam Prestasi Anak Bangsa di dunia"? which was luanched in August 2013, and "Indonesia Bersyukur"? which is launched in Sept 2013. In 2014, 3 books were released in which i was one of the writer; "Indonesia Pelangi Dunia"?, "Indonesia The Untold Stories"? and "Growing! Meretas Jalan Kejayaan" I give lectures to students in lectures nationwide, sharing on full range of issues, from economy, to diplomacy Less
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