KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s AirAsia Group Bhd plans to launch air taxi service and the country’s first drone delivery service as the budget carrier seeks to diversify amid coronavirus pandemic , the CEO of the company said Saturday.
As part of the group’s diversification campaign, it also aims to launch a sled service next month while COVID-19 continues to hit air travel.
“The air taxi will have a pilot and four seats. Our team is currently working on this upcoming service with AirAsia, ”said Chief Executive Tony Fernandes at the 2021 Youth Economic Forum, the state news agency Bernama reported on Saturday.
The service should start operating in about 18 months, Fernandes said.
He also announced that the logistics unit of the airline Teleport, which is currently testing an urban drone delivery service with the Malaysian state aid company Malaysian Innovation and Creativity (MaGIC), would delivered their first commercial delivery before the end of this year.
(The idea) was taken three weeks ago and now it really is, ”he wrote on Instagram.
Fernandes said the group was overcoming the impact of the pandemic and had seized the opportunity to accelerate the digital transformation, Bernama said.
The struggling airline, which reported a fifth straight quarterly loss in November, has been trying to raise 2.5 billion ringgit ($ 613.95 million) from loans and investors.
Last month, they said their 33% Japanese unit, which ceased operations in October last year, had begun bankruptcy proceedings.
($ 1 = 4.0720 ringgit)
Reciting with Mei Mei Chu; Edited by Helen Popper