AirAsia Cargo is Payload Asia’s ‘Rising Star Carrier of the Year’!
SINGAPORE, 6 September 2012 – AirAsia Cargo was awarded the ‘Rising Star Carrier of the Year’ at the Payload Asia Awards 2012 here last night, defeating other finalists such as Delta Airlines and Saudia Cargo.
AirAsia Cargo was selected by Payload Asia as the award winner based on the airline’s exceptional network growth & development strategy, operational performance in year 2011, customer service & product innovations and its market responsiveness & adaptability.
The award win reflects the strength of the airline’s brand in the air cargo segment. Although relatively new in cargo, AirAsia have established value added services and become a leader of innovation in various aspects of the industry. The airline is steadfast in offering high quality services at equitable prices and continues to innovate to better serve its markets.
AirAsia Singapore CEO, Logan Velaitham said, “We are honoured to have won The “Rising Star Carrier of the Year Award” from Singapore-based PayLoad Asia. Congratulations to our cargo team, headed by Sathis Manoharen, for all the hard work in making AirAsia Cargo a respectable entity. After 10 awesome years, we continue to enjoy unprecedented growth in all areas including the cargo section of the business. Winning this award only proves that AirAsia is gaining greater foothold in the aviation industry and will continue to contribute towards economic growth in the Asean region and beyond with our long haul affiliate AirAsia X.
“In Singapore, AirAsia grew its tonnage with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 132% over last the 3 years. We look forward to enjoy further growth via managing our cost base and continue to innovate in soliciting more cargo business. Whilst others are feeling the downwards pressures in terms of tonnage and revenues, we have continued to shake up the air cargo industry, doubling our cargo revenue percentage wise. This is a testament to the AirAsia spirit of challenging conventional wisdom.”
According to Payload Asia, the awards highlight the air cargo supply chain organisations that have made a difference in the industry – those that have risen above the challenges through market adeptness, innovative products or superior strategy – to excel and make a positive impact on the market. A focus of course, following that of the magazine (Payload Asia), will be on the Asia-Pacific, Indian-subcontinent and Middle East regions including any company located outside these regions, but with a reasonable business focus in those regions.*
Regional Head of Cargo for AirAsia and AirAsia X, Sathis Manoharen said, “We are extremely delighted to be presented this award in Singapore. It is a testimony of belief by our valued customers in our upward trajectory in growth, both in service and efficiency levels. Our flown-as-booked figures, a measure of delivery efficiency, are higher than the industry standard. We challenge conventional wisdom that LCC’s are not able to engage cargo as a revenue stream, due to the perceived acute turnaround time. Our award proves that as an LCC, we are not only able to generate excellent revenue but change the face of the cargo industry as well.”
The ‘Rising Star Carrier of the Year’ award was the second honour received by AirAsia Cargo in 2012. In June this year, the airline received the ‘Air Cargo Industry Customer Care Award 2012’ from Air Cargo Week (ACW), a respected UK-based air cargo news publication, after emerging first in a global survey that polled industry peers and shippers. The ACW award was won twice in succession (2011 & 2012), making AirAsia the first airline to have won the award two-years in a row and the first ever low cost carrier to be awarded this global recognition.
AirAsia identifies cargo as a major revenue-generating channel and a huge contributor to its ancillary income. The airline is optimizing the potential of its aircraft belly space to bring in revenue, by offering cargo services at rates considerably lower than its competitors. By tapping into AirAsia’s extensive network and flight frequencies, the airline manages to reach more destinations and achieve faster delivery time.
AirAsia’s cargo services spans across the entire ASEAN region and extends to East Asia, South Asia, Oceania, and Europe.
AirAsia is also strengthening cargo operations in part to protect its bottom line against fluctuations in fuel prices, actively engaging with more cargo agents and sizable export-import firms in the markets that AirAsia flies to. It is also reaching markets beyond its current route network through other airlines in which AirAsia has special pro-rate agreements. These major airlines extend AirAsia’s reach to more cities in East Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
AirAsia’s most popular cargo commodities are perishables, machinery parts, electronics and apparels.
For more information on AirAsia Cargo, log on to cargo.airasia.com.
*Courtesy of Payload Asia
