Asian airlines fly nervously into post-COVID future

Carriers brace for restructuring, but crisis also presents opportunities

20201217 Air Planes

Thai Airways aircraft lined up at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand on May 21. (Photo by Akira Kodaka) 

ERI SUGIURA, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- "Just another chapter in that never-ending story of AirAsia" was how Tony Fernandes, the Malaysian tycoon who heads Asia's largest budget carrier, described this year of struggle.

Dressed in his favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers T-shirt and speaking during an online event hosted by aviation research company CAPA -- Centre for Aviation on Dec. 9, Fernandes remained aggressive about his company's plans. "We feel we're going to come back stronger in 2021," he said.

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