Tony Fernandes launches Flying High autobiography at gala event

SEPANG, 29 October 2017 - AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes today launched his memoirs, Flying High, a look back at his journey from music man to airline man.

The book was unveiled at a star-studded affair at Marini’s On 57 in Kuala Lumpur today, in the
shadow of the Petronas Twin Towers.

Present were AirAsia Co-Founder and AirAsia Malaysia Executive Chairman Datuk Kamarudin
Meranun, AirAsia Malaysia Independent Director Dato’ Fam Lee Ee, AirAsia Malaysia CEO Aireen Omar, AirAsia X Malaysia CEO Benyamin Ismail, AirAsia Thailand CEO Tassapon Bijleveld, AirAsia Group CEO for Indonesia Dendy Kurniawan, AirAsia Philippines CEO Captain Dexter Comendador and AirAsia India CEO Amar Abrol, captains of industry and celebrities, including actors Dato’ Hans Isaac, Daniel Mananta and Raline Shah, as well as artistes Raihan, Man Bai and Yasin.

AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said, “Flying High is a story about the power of dreams.
When I first started AirAsia with Datuk Kamarudin, everyone thought we were crazy. They said
we had no business running an airline and it wouldn’t work. If we had listened to them, we
would have given up before we even started and this book wouldn’t exist.

“This book is proof that dreams do come true, and I hope it will encourage others to pursue
their true passion. Believe the unbelievable, dream the impossible and never take no for an
answer. Even if you fail, it doesn’t matter because at least you’ve tried and you can do it again,
so trust in your gut feeling, don’t listen to anyone else’s advice and go ahead - write your own
incredible story.”

Flying High recounts Fernandes’s journey from a young boy growing in Malaysia to a homesick
British boarding school student with a tuck box full of dreams, all the way to his time at Warner
Music and finally as AirAsia chief - with plenty of stops along memory lane in between.

Learn about what drives Fernandes and the moments that shaped him, including a chance
encounter with Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson that eventually led to Fernandes’ first
job out of university.

Published as Fernandes returns as the face of the second series of Apprentice Asia, the book is
an inspiring personal story of an exceptional business leader who created Asia first budget
airline and democratised air travel in Asia, building AirAsia into a multi-billion- dollar company in the process.

Flying High is available now at all good bookstores, and on board AirAsia flights and on
bigdutyfree.com from 6 November 2017.