KUALA LUMPUR (April 30): Capital A Bhd, formerly AirAsia Group Bhd, said the budget airline is monitoring the development of zero-emission aircraft as part of the its planned fleet transformation and as it explores innovative avenues to prepare for the future of travel.
Capital A said in its latest 2021 annual report, which was filed with Bursa Malaysia on Friday (April 29), that while it is planning to transform its fleet with the fuel-efficient Airbus 321neo, it is also monitoring the development of zero-emission aircraft and will review how that fits into its operations from 2035 onwards.
"Meanwhile, we look forward to becoming a pioneer in the exciting space of ultra-short-haul travel in Asean. On Feb 16, we signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to lease at least 100 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from our partner Avolon.
"Also known as air taxis, eVTOL are set to revolutionise mobility not only by being zero-emission but by introducing the futuristic concept of being able to fly from A to B just as you would take an e-hailing ride.
"As with everything we do, this will be another exciting first in the region — making eco-friendly ultra short-haul air travel affordable and inclusive. We are currently undertaking a thorough study, and look forward to announcing more developments in our next annual report,” it added.
Capital A executive chairman Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said in the annual report that AirAsia is bringing more of its aircraft out of hibernation to meet strong pent-up demand for air travel as Covid-19-driven travel restrictions gradually ease.
"After almost two years of having their wings clipped [since the Covid-19 outbreak began in early 2020], people simply cannot wait to travel again. We believe all the signs point towards regional air travel returning to some measure of normalcy within the year and that international air travel will recover rapidly throughout 2022 and the years ahead.
"(2022) commenced with the emergence of a new variant of concern, Omicron, which has spread widely and rapidly. While being more contagious than some of the previous variants, many leading experts agree that it is not as severe with proportionally low hospitalisation rates.
"We therefore remain cautiously optimistic that this is the beginning of the end of the pandemic. Many countries in Asean are already opening their borders to international tourists thanks to high vaccination rates, better education and testing as the world is learning to live with Covid-19,” they added.
On another note, Capital A said in response to the easing of travel restrictions, about 43% of AirAsia’s aircraft are back in the sky.
"Within our key markets, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam have started to reopen for travel. The vaccinated travel lane between Malaysia and Singapore resumed on Jan 24. Even the Australian government, one of the strictest in the region, reopened its borders to fully vaccinated visitors from Feb 21,” the group added.
Capital A shares closed 1.5 sen or 2.13% higher at 72 sen on Friday, valuing the group at about RM3 billion based on its 4.16 billion outstanding shares.