AirAsia's investor talks take flight as restructuring nears endgame
The airline, whose parent company Capital A was classified as financially distressed by Malaysia's stock exchange in 2022, is arranging a RM1 billion equity injection alongside financing for its extensive order book of new planes, Kamal said, speaking on a panel at the Reuters NEXT Asia summit.
Capital A Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said in March that the RM1 billion private placement was 'done', but has not disclosed the identity of the investors. He declined to comment on a Bloomberg report in March that Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund was set to invest US$100 million (RM425.3 million).
Kamal said AirAsia was coming to the final conclusion of talks with investors 'not just from an equity injection perspective, but from an overall transactions perspective', and hopes to make an announcement in 'due course'.
AirAsia, one of Asia's largest low-cost carriers and one of Airbus' largest customers, has around 360 planes on order.
On Friday, AirAsia signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus to buy 50 long-range A321XLR planes with conversion rights for another 20 of the single-aisle jets.
Fernandes said last week he hoped to exit the financially distressed status soon, once restructuring efforts are complete.
As part of this, Capital A is in the process of selling its AirAsia aviation business to long-haul unit AirAsia X to consolidate long- and short-haul operations under a single AirAsia brand. — Reuters
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Free Malaysia Today
7 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
PJ mayor outlines conditions for privatised parking scheme
PJ mayor Zahri Samingon said the privatisation process must not disrupt the existing parking situation in the city. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) agrees in principle with the Selangor government's decision to privatise the city's parking system, but several conditions must be met before it can be implemented. Mayor Zahri Samingon said MBPJ supported the move as it was a policy approved by the state executive council. However, he said, the privatisation process must not disrupt the existing parking situation in the city. 'One of our conditions is that the revenue (MBPJ earns) must be the same or higher than what we get currently,' he told reporters after attending the closing ceremony of the PJ International Outdoor Expo 2025 here today. 'There are many terms that we still need to refine further, such as the basis for enforcement delegation, how long it will be delegated, and so on. 'So there are around three to four more terms that we need to get more details on,' he said, adding that the council had already met with Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI) several times to seek clarification on the plan. He said further discussions will be held with MBI to finalise the remaining details. The state government's Smart Intelligent Parking (SIP) system is set to be implemented in PJ, Subang Jaya, Shah Alam and Selayang from Aug 1. It will involve the four local councils, state-owned Rantaian Mesra Sdn Bhd, and a private company. Enforcement will be carried out by the local councils, with Rantaian Mesra acting as the system coordinator. The private company, which has not been named, will handle day-to-day parking operations. The MPs of all four constituencies have objected to the proposed system, urging the state government to review the proposal and establish an independent, bipartisan committee to reassess the scheme. State local government executive councillor Ng Suee Lim was reported to have said that the state was prepared to postpone the plan if issues raised are not resolved before Aug 1.


Free Malaysia Today
7 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Subang Jaya appoints ITMax unit as parking operator for 10 years
Selmax Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of ITMax System Berhad, has been appointed to manage parking operations in Subang Jaya on a 10-year revenue-sharing concession. PETALING JAYA : The Subang Jaya city council has appointed Selmax Sdn Bhd to manage parking in the city under the Selangor intelligent parking system, Selmax's parent company ITMax System Berhad announced today. The appointment is for 10 years, with an option for a 5-year extension, on a revenue-sharing arrangement in which Selmax will receive 50% of the revenue generated from parking-related collection. ITMax chief executive William Tan said Selmax will be responsible for deploying, managing, and operating all gazetted car park spaces under MBSJ's jurisdiction. He said the company's smart parking solutions had achieved success in other cities. 'This initiative is also aligned with Selangor's broader Smart City agenda, and we are proud to play a role in driving its digital transformation in cities with an integrated smart city infrastructure,' he said in a statement.


Free Malaysia Today
9 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Ex-director, company fined RM15,000 for failing to pay service tax
The accused, Ng Wen Hua, pleaded for the minimum fine, telling the Ayer Keroh sessions court that the business was no longer in operation. (Facebook pic) MELAKA : A former director and his company were fined RM15,000 by the Ayer Keroh sessions court today for failing to pay service tax and penalties amounting to RM139,755.25 between 2021 and 2023. Judge Haderiah Siri imposed the sentence after Ng Wen Hua, 31, and Go Lounge Sdn Bhd pleaded guilty to five charges. She also ordered a one-month jail term in default for each charge should they fail to settle the fine. According to the charges, Ng and the company failed to pay service tax within the stipulated period, as required under Section 26(4) of the Service Tax Act 2018. The unpaid service taxes ranged from RM19,000 to RM30,000, with penalties between RM3,000 and RM12,000. The offences were said to have been committed at the customs department at Wisma Kastam Negeri in Ayer Keroh on Feb 1, April 1, Aug 2, 2022, as well as on Oct 3 and Dec 1, 2023. Customs department prosecuting officer Azhar Habib, who conducted the proceedings, urged the court to impose a fine of RM5,000 for each charge, citing the accused's record of non-compliance with tax payments and the fact that the offence involved loss of government revenue. Ng, who was unrepresented, pleaded for the minimum fine, saying the business was no longer in operation.