AirAsia has signed a memorandum of understanding with Everbright and Henan Government Working Group to establish a low-cost carrier (LCC) based in Zhenzhou, China.
AirAsia has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with financial services company China Everbright and Henan Government Working Group to establish a low-cost carrier (LCC) in China.
The joint venture, to be known as AirAsia (China), will operate a low-cost aviation business based in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province in central China. Local officials spoke of their ambitions to transform Zhengzhou into “a new hub for global transport and logistics”. With its location as a gateway to Europe, the city is expected to benefit from Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vision for One Belt, One Road.
In addition, AirAsia (China) will invest in aviation infrastructure, including a dedicated LCC terminal at Zhengzhou airport and an aviation academy to train pilots, crew and engineers, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities to service aircraft.
The MoU was exchanged between AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes, Everbright Financial Investment Holding Executive Director and President Wang Weifeng and Henan Airport Group Vice Chairman and President Li Weidong at China World Hotel on 14th May.
For Air Asia, this foothold in China represents the final link in its Asia-Pacific network. As Tony Fernandes declares: “In just 16 years, we have successfully built a presence in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, India and Japan, with China closing the loop on all major territories in Asia Pacific.”