KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes added another feather to his cap when launched his memoirs, Flying High, which chronicles his journey from a music man to airline mogul.
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.
The book launch was attended by AirAsia co-founder and AirAsia Malaysia executive chairman Datuk Kamarudin Meranun; AirAsia Malaysia independent director Datuk Fam Lee Ee; AirAsia Malaysia chief executive officer Aireen Omar; AirAsia X Malaysia chief executive officer Benyamin Ismail; AirAsia chief executive officer Thailand Tassapon Bijleveld; AirAsia Group chief executive officer for Indonesia Dendy Kurniawan, and AirAsia India chief executive officer Amar Abrol.
‘Flying High’ recounts Fernandes’ 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.
Fernandes described his book as “a story about the power of dreams.”
“When I first started AirAsia with 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,” Fernandes said.
The book, he said, is proof that dreams do come true, and he hoped 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.”
The book was published as Fernandes returns as the face of the second season of The Apprentice Asia.
Retailing at RM86.95 (inclusive of GST), ‘Flying High’ is available at all major bookstores, and and available for pre-book on bigdutyfree.com and on board AirAsia flights, as well as on bigdutyfree.com from Nov 6.