The airline’s group chief executive, in an interview with Reuters, also said he expected AirAsia’s Vietnam joint venture to be flying by October.
Tony Fernandes’ AirAsia Bhd is in talks with a potential partner to open an airline serving Myanmar, a move that would help the low-cost carrier cover up to 95% of the South-east Asian travel market.
The airline’s group chief executive, in an interview with Reuters, also said he expected AirAsia’s Vietnam joint venture to be flying by October.
“It’s not going to be a big airline there (in Myanmar), because the airport infrastructure is not there. But it is 50 million people and it will develop over time,” said Fernandes, who was in Sydney for the meeting of the 10-member Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Other companies have also been eyeing Myanmar as it slowly opens to foreign investment and has experienced rapid economic growth. Last year, Japan’s ANA Holdings Inc’s plan to form an airline with local partner Golden Sky World was rejected by authorities.
Fernandes said he met and had talks with an unnamed potential partner in Sydney. AirAsia has businesses in Malaysia, its home-base, as well as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan and Thailand, and has plans to launch an airline in China.