KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 — AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes today apologised for succumbing to political pressure in his support for Barisan Nasional during the GE14 campaign.
In a video posted on his Facebook page, he said he was placed under “tremendous pressure” by the BN government due to Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz’s stumping for Pakatan Harapan as well as AirAsia’s offers of low fares and more flights for Malaysians to return to their hometowns to vote.
“I’m sorry for what has gone on, I buckled at the crucial moment in our history... there are no real excuses, but I will tell you how I felt leading up to those decisions.
“I’m not someone who would run away from difficult situations, from times that we need to stand up and be accounted. Today is one of them,” he said in a seven-minute video clip on his Facebook page.
Fernandes said he was pressured by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to remove Rafidah as AirAsia X chairman and was summoned by the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) to cancel the additional 120 flights that had been added on to ferry 25,000 Malaysians to vote, on top of AirAsia’s normal scheduled flights.
“We reduced ticket prices to make it affordable — RM99 for Peninsular Malaysia, and RM120 for flights across the sea to East Malaysia. The rakyat was overjoyed.
“Unfortunately, that put me under more pressure when it was realised by the government that we were ferrying so many voters. Within 24 hours, we were summoned by Mavcom and told to cancel all those flights,” he said.
He said he stood firm by his decision and did not mention to Rafidah the demand from PMO for her to be removed from AirAsia X. He also maintained the low fares and extra flights for the general election even though the airline was under “intense pressure”.
He then gave in by shooting a video praising former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, with an AirAsia plane sporting the livery “Hebatkan Negaraku” (Make My Country Greater), and changing the cabin crew’s signature red uniform into the coalition’s deep blue.
“So foolishly I thought by doing the video, which I felt was fairly neutral and factual, and the plane from KK, would appease the government and protect the jobs of Allstars, and more importantly the very essence of allowing 18 million to people to fly every year at low fares,” said Fernandes, in reference to the A330-300 aircraft in the video which had flown Najib from Sabah back to the federal capital.
“Under the intense pressure I buckled. It wasn’t right... I will forever regret it, but it was a decision made at the spur of the moment to protect that baby that has given so much to Malaysia,” he said referring to his baby, AirAsia.
“AirAsia is in a very regulated industry, an industry where almost everything requires the approval of the government — from flights, to airport taxes, to routes — and so it is never very easy running an airline and one must always support the government of the day.”
Acknowledging the PH victory, Fernandas said he was overjoyed by the triumph and hopes to see AirAsia continue its growth under the new government and vows to make up for his previous mistake.
“I apologise once again for the pain and the hurt I caused. My views, as I said earlier, are very much the same as all of your views. I look forward to a fantastic new Malaysia, a Malaysia that gives everyone a chance.
“I will do my level best and put 150 per cent in to make up for this error of judgement and to make sure AirAsia continues to allow dreams to come true,” he said.
