When
we heard about Air Asia, then you must know or have heard about Tan Sri Dato’
Dr. Tony Fernandes. Anthony Francis Fernandes or familiarly called Toni
Fernandes was the one who was instrumental in making a near-bankrupt airline
into a highly profitable airline. He is the founder and leader of Air Asia
Berhad. He was born on 30 April 1964 in Kuala Lumpur. His father’s named
Stephen Edward Fernandes and his mother named Ena Dorothy Fernandez. At a young
age, he always followed his mother a businessman to Tupperware dealer parties.
He was educated at Epsom College 1977 until 1983 and later graduated from the
London School of Economics in 1987.Everyone will want to achieve great results
in their lives but not everyone managed to make it happen. Many people assume
that he did not achieve what a dream because it has no capital, no network, had
no knowledge of it or various other reasons that ultimately make them stop
trying. But his determination has been proved that he can do it and make Air
Asia one of the most success low cost airlines in the world. In the past many
people assume it is impossible to get on a plane because it is expensive, but
after Air Asia with the motto "Everyone can fly", almost everyone
today can board a plane at an affordable price.
One of the entrepreneurial traits that
have shown by Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Tony Fernandes is proactive. To be a successful
entrepreneur, they must have a proactive method so that they can compete with
others entrepreneur who already establish and success. Proactive method can describe
as people who get things done. If you are proactive, you make things happen,
instead of waiting for them to happen to you. Same goes to Tan Sri Dato’ Dr.
Tony Fernandes’s story. His proactive action can be seen when Air Asia achieved
success under the leadership of Tony Fernandes that able to adopt effective
cost management system in their airline business. In any matters, the low cost
is always highly preferred and the favorable one by the customers and this is
where he starts to begins. Air Asia initially began its operations with a lower
cost when compared to the nearest competitor Malaysia Airlines. The strategy of
lowering the initial cost of business is to buy an airplane used. It is
definitely cost less than a new aircraft. This is the initial strategy. Once
the company has been profitable and have more funds, the aircraft that
purchased at this early stage will be replaced with new airplanes gradually. In
addition to the initial cost, operating costs and daily costs such as staff
salaries, fees for airplane landing and so also identified as cost components
to be managed at a lower level as well.
How Air Asia managed to reduce the cost
of payroll employees, including pilots? The cost of the pilot will normally
represent one of the highest cost components that must be spent by the airline.
However, the management of Air Asia managed to do it in the other ways. Air
Asia management team are very wise to take chances and begins to act when the
other companies are having difficult trading period with their business. For
example, due to the events of 11 September 2001, a lot of airlines pilots are
fired and after the incident, many airlines could not bear the operational
costs because many people do not dare to travel by plane except for a handful
of forced or emergency. Many other airlines have had to lay off flight path
does not benefit them. As a result, many pilots lost their source of income due
to disposal or less to fly. Air Asia to take this opportunity and offer
employment opportunities to the pilots who were fired to join them. However,
Air Asia has more power at that time because the scheme or the employment
package offered is significantly lower than the airline competitors. Pilots
desperate for work will receive an offer Air Asia even though it is not very
attractive remuneration package.
All we can says is Tony Fernandes is a
smart person and wise to take advantage from the current situation. He able to
think forward and grab the opportunities before anybody could think about it.
His proactive method have already place him on list one of the successful
entrepreneur in Malaysia especially in the Airline industry.
Next entrepreneurial traits are team
oriented. If we do some research on why Air Asia can be one of the successful
airlines in Malaysia, one of the answer will be teamwork. Tony Fernandes really
appreciate and consent about their employees because he always put their
employees as his top priority and after that, the customers. He also argues
that if workers can work in a happy situation, its impact, they will welcome
and serve our customers better. He has been actively looking for new staff that
has high ideals and humble. "You can have all the money you want in the
world, and you can have all the brilliant ideas but if you do not have the
people, forget it," said the CEO of Air Asia, Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Tony
Fernandes.
In addition, Tony is also a passionate
entrepreneur. He can communicate with others with a cheerful heart and open.
Thus, he is able to build a wide social network, and this is an important
factor for him to become one of Malaysia's most successful entrepreneurs. He
not only has a good relationship with the local people but he is also on good
terms with foreign entrepreneurs and high profile ministers. He is also friends
with the locals, regardless of race, religion, color, position, and wealth
because he believed that all his friends help him to expand the scale of its
business. For example, his staff has a strong commitment in their daily work and
very loyal to Tony. Tony also interacts with the staff in order to understand
their needs and build positive relationships with them.
Then, in order to be a successful
entrepreneur, they must have a strong networked to expand their empire. Tony
Fernandes also use this traits and it becomes one of the income sources for his
business. Tony Fernandes uses his experience to create strategic marketing and
strong cooperation with the Virgin, Sir Richard Branson and Air Asia X were
initiated. The continuation of this collaboration can be seen with the success
of Air Asia offers flights to European countries such as the United Kingdom,
France and others. Started as a local hero and fly customers around domestic
destinations, Air Asia once again took the opportunity to move forward on
flights to destinations outside the country. Although it takes a bit longer but
every effort is finally paid off.
One of the networking strategies that
Tony Fernandes use is his intention to buy a football team in the United
Kingdom. Even it is a tough step to be made but he never gives up and keeps
trying. Finally in 2011, after the negotiations, Air Asia managed to buy a
football team. Why is this step necessary? It is one of the strategies towards
branding and how to airline's move to penetrate the market in Europe. When Air
Asia brand has been synonymous with the fans of the football team, thus the
people in the United Kingdom will recognize Air Asia as a brand that should be
selected. This is a golden opportunity that Air Asia looks for.
He always belief that "The more
you give, the more you will get". He also provides a lot of financial
assistance to reduce the burden of the poor and so on. Air Asia is quite active
in helping airlines to bring home Malaysians in countries such as Indonesia
disaster or crisis such as the civil war in the Gulf countries and so on. They
believe the return to be derived from their concerns will come at any time and
in various forms.
Tan Sri
Anthony Francis Fernandes, whom was born on 30 April 1964 and live in Kuala
Lumpur with his father named Stephen Edward Fernandes and his mother named Ena
Dorothy Fernandez. He was educated at Epsom College in 1977 to 1983 and then
graduated from the London School of Economics in 1987. He has a vision that
wants to open an airline with a low ticket price. Tony Fernandes founded Tune
Air Sdn Bhd in 2001, with the vision to make air travel more affordable to
Malaysians. The biggest achievement Fernandes' Air Asia has made in
international transport. Before he arrived at the scene, the countries in the
region have never had any kind of open-skies agreements. With a dream to expand
his branch, he opened several airplane field throughout Asia including Singapore,
Bangkok, and Macau. He also provides cargo services, sales of drinks on board,
and marketing joint ventures with other companies.
Airlines
Air Asia is quickly becoming profitable within two years because of low fare,
high quality service. Air Asia has now been voted the world's best low cost
airline and unprecedented, in six consecutive years (2009-2014). In short, Tan
Sri Dr Antony Francis Fernandes is an entrepreneur with vision, foresight and
vision Air Asia has changed to become a pioneering low-cost airline in Asia and
the largest low cost airline in the world.
Tan Sri Anthony Fernandes or better
known as Tony Fernandes born 30 April 1964 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tony
Fernandes is Tune Air Sdn Bhd company founder which launch low cost flight
service to Malaysian population. Tony Fernandes pursues the dream to build a
low standard flight industry namely by take over airline saddled with big debt
and experience record that is very bad. Apart from that, Dr Mahathir advises
Tony Fernandes to buy flight ship company that already have from build itself
because cost that is quite expensive and late new company to develop. Tony
Fernandes feels that Air Asia flight ship company he bought is accurate. After
that, Tony Fernandes believes that Malaysian passenger will celebrate low
flying standard so that could shorten time and standard especially in economic
situation that is tight. Therefore, Tony Fernandes parrots Ryanair system
(Ryanair that also copied the system from Airlines Southwest in United States )
, a Irlandia flight ship that most successful in the world.
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