Pahamin: AirAsia not the cause of MAS losses

AirAsia Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes said the airline's domestic flights have reduced Malaysia Airlines (MAS)'s burden in the domestic sector.

The budget airline company held a press conference yesterday to deflect what it felt to be criticism made by a top MAS official in the press recently.

With AirAsia’s domestic flights and interest in improving flights in Sabah and Sarawak, MAS’ social obligation has lessened, Fernandes said.

“They (MAS) don’t have to worry about these internal routes because we can do it for them. And it provides them with an opportunity to be more focused,” he added.

“We are helping MAS, in fact, so they can focus on more profitable areas and compete with Singapore Airlines by improving frequencies to destinations like China, India, Paris and London, which are of no interest to AirAsia as we are a three-hour regional airline,” he added.

AirAsia chairman Datuk Pahamin Rejab refuted remarks made by MAS chairman Datuk Dr Munir Majid in a news report that someone has a vested interest in the low-cost airline and put impositions on MAS so as not to see AirAsia fail.

Rejab said that four years ago, when a few partners took over AirAsia from DRB-HICOM, MAS was already losing money.

“MAS’ problems are not caused by AirAsia As we want ourselves to succeed, we also want MAS to succeed. I don’t think anyone in particular has a vested interest in AirAsia. We are a public company, and everyone, from the staff to the people, own shares in it,” he added.

It is interesting to note that when our local little gaint companies and GLCs suffered losses, the reasons is always pointed at faulting others and they cry louder so as to get the government to shower them with far greater economic protection and insulation from competitors. We have corporations that prefers to remain as babies, wanting only breast milk and getting used to sucking nipples. They won't want to learnt to crawl and walk competently for they believe they can run albeit limping. They prefer the warm and nutritious breast even after decades of existence in the corporate world. At the same time, they are boastful of themselves ; they dream of going to the moon and they dream of matching the wealth of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. They believe they are entitled to those wealth without any sweat and stress because they are the chosen people.

You can restructure MAS a few more times and pump in a few more billions. It will last a few years, and they will be back to what they are today, or post 1997-era.