AirAsia's China dream gets strong backing from new investor

Amateur poker player Stanley Choi keen to bet on huge market after COVID

20210312 airasia and chinese passengers

China's aviation market is a great opportunity for a budget carrier, says an important new investor in Malaysia-based AirAsia. (Source photos by Reuters)

P PREM KUMAR, Nikkei staff writer

KUALA LUMPUR -- AirAsia's newest major shareholder Stanley Choi wants to realize CEO Tony Fernandes' long-held goal of landing the no-frills Malaysian airline in the Chinese market.

Choi now owns an 8.96% stake in AirAsia via a private placement last month. He is confident that his corporate resume that includes Hong Kong and China, where he was born, could facilitate securing the needed approvals for what could become AirAsia China.

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