LONDON, June 25 ― AirAsia has been awarded the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2024, marking its fifteenth consecutive win in the low-cost carrier segment globally.

The airline also secured the title of Best Low-Cost Airline in Asia at the award ceremony.

This accolade was given in recognition of AirAsia's leadership in promoting connectivity and revitalising tourism across the ASEAN region.

In accepting the award at the ceremony held in Fairmont Windsor Park, Capital A chief executive officer (CEO) Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said AirAsia has strived to be ahead of the curve, taking the challenging path to redefine and democratise access to air travel.

He noted that it is inspiring to witness the growth of this industry over the years since its inception.

AirAsia began in 2001 when Tony Fernandes and Datuk Kamarudin Meranun acquired an ailing airline with two aircraft and 200 staff, transforming it into the fourth largest in Asia, with over 200 aircraft and 21,000 staff across Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Cambodia.

"Driven by the purpose of redefining air travel in Asean by providing affordability, inclusivity and accessibility, AirAsia is among the foremost in the region championing connectivity and the revitalisation of tourism,” Tony said at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2024 here.

Leveraging its 23-year track record of disruptive multi-hub operations in Asia, he highlighted that the carrier continues to deliver significant improvements in customer experience, thanks to continual enhancements in booking and journey touchpoints as well as innovative ancillary services.

"Additionally, the ongoing reactivation of our fleet and the delivery of new aircraft in the coming months will enable AirAsia to explore new destinations, potentially expanding routes across Africa and Europe.

"We also acknowledge the challenges as we continue to rebuild the airline from the worst crisis in aviation history, but today we’ve emerged stronger. Travel is back, the sky's the limit, and we are working hard to be even bigger and better than ever,” he said.

He attributed the achievement to the staff and guests, consisting of 21,000 employees and 800 million passengers, who continued to support AirAsia despite many challenges over the last few years.

"AirAsia continues to serve destinations where other airlines don’t fly, still offering the lowest fares despite rising prices, but with a good service. Hence why we won the show,” he said.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, he said the carrier faced the most challenging time with refunds, and the award is a credit to those who had faith in AirAsia despite the pandemic's impact on the aviation industry.

"To date, we have honoured every single refund, with a few more left to process in the Philippines,” he added.

Meanwhile, Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted said being named both the World's Best Low-Cost Airline and the Best Low-Cost Airline in Asia for a record fifteenth time reflects AirAsia’s dedication to providing quality and affordable travel options to customers throughout Asia.

The Skytrax World Airline Awards, known as the Oscars of the aviation industry, are determined by millions of international travellers, with final award results including more than 325 airlines.

Skytrax has conducted the World Airline Audit for over 25 years.

Over 100 customer nationalities participated in the 2023/2024 online survey, with 21.42 million eligible entries counted in the results from September 2023 to May 2024. ― Bernama