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PETALING JAYA: AirAsia Group Bhd expects to raise up to RM2.5 billion from bank loans and investors by the end of the year, said its CEO Tony Fernandes.
He said the low-cost carrier is also reviewing its operations in Japan, the smallest of its foreign branches, as it seeks to weather the Covid-19 pandemic.
Fernandes told Reuters in an interview that the group was seeking to raise up to RM1.5 billion from bank loans and another RM1 billion from investors, which include private equity players, strategic partners and conglomerates, both local and foreign.
“He is progressing quite well and I don’t see any reason why that is not happening. But I can’t add much more to that, ”he said.
On AirAsia’s operations in Japan, he said: “I think Japan is something we have to think about a lot. If we had tons of cash then it is something we would probably carry on. I think we will have decisions about Japan soon. “
He said AirAsia intends to consolidate and strengthen its presence in Asean, “and if that means getting out of India and Japan someday, so be it.” It said its joint venture with Tata Sons in India remains “as is.”
On AirAsia X’s pending aircraft orders, Fernandes said the group is in discussions with Airbus to restructure its order book.
“We have been customers of Airbus for a long, long time. And so we will both be professionals about it and we will come out of a situation in which we will all win.
“The reality is that I don’t think many airlines are going to take on new planes in the next few years. AirAsia is one of them, ”he said.
