Malaysia AirAsia to Promote Air Taxi and Drone Delivery Services

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chunhan] Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia Group is reportedly planning to introduce an air taxi service, according to foreign media on the 6th.

Tony Fernandes, co-founder and CEO of AirAsia, said in an online discussion at the Youth Economic Forum that "work related to this is underway, and there is one and a half years left until the official launch."

The air taxi that AirAsia will introduce will take off and land using four rotors. There will be one pilot and four seats. Fernandes explained the background of entering the air taxi business by saying, "We want to pursue business diversification amid the COVID-19 pandemic situation."

AirAsia has recently faced management difficulties, recording losses for five consecutive quarters until the end of last year. Amid this, to generate revenue sources, the company is expanding its business areas by recently launching an application that provides travel, shopping, and financial services together.

Fernandes also revealed plans to start an urban drone delivery service. He said, "We will launch the first commercial drone delivery service around the end of this year." Drone delivery services have not yet been introduced in Malaysia.