Tony Fernandes and Mittu Chandilya are as different as chalk and cheese. Gregarious, irreverent Fernandes, who’s promised to paint the Indian skies in the red hues of his AirAsia airline once he gets a permit to fly domestic routes later this year, is a journalist’s delight, full of quotable and don’t-quote-me lines. His quiet and earnest CEO, Mittu Chandilya is the one who’s supposed to deliver the results Tony is seeking.
Ranked 21st on the Forbes list of richest Malaysians, Fernandes has built his fortune by being the David who took on Malaysian Airlines and the Government of Malaysia. The AirAsia group now has subsidiaries in five countries, apart from its long-haul joint venture AirAsiaX. Each company is headed by a CEO, moulded in what has, over the years, become the classic tee-shirt-baseball-cap-wearing LCC (low-cost carrier) style. Fernandes says his model is people-oriented and the CEO is the face of the airline.
But Chandilya is something else. Confident, but quiet, the 32-year-old former model is more measured in his tone and tenor. He is now neck-deep in preparations for AirAsia’s India launch—hiring people, meeting ministers and negotiating with suppliers. He says he will do it all, but will not wear the baseball cap.
We met Fernandes and Chandilya for a poolside discussion on what they were up to, and got a good whiff of what they are cooking up. Here’s what they said.
Mittu Chandilya, and his role at AirAsia India
Chandilya: My vision for India is to connect everyone. I gave Tony a commitment before he hired me that we will be bigger than the rest of AirAsia combined. With 400-plus aircraft, the fleet size of all the airlines in India put together is roughly the same as the AirAsia group’s. The market here is huge. So just give me a few years and we will be bigger.
Though it may seem like Tony is larger than life, his CEOs run the show. I haven’t been told how many people to hire, what routes to fly. All those are my decisions. I look at Tony like my uncle, who comes knocking me on my head if things do not move.
Fernandes: You walk down the streets of Malaysia, and everyone knows me. I don’t think anyone knows the CEO of Malaysian Airlines. In India too, not everyone knows the CEOs of some airlines. Mittu will have to be the face [of AirAsia]. He will have to drive the brand. He can’t be Richard Branson and can’t be Tony Fernandes, but then I can’t be him. I can’t spend so much time combing my hair or looking at myself in the mirror (laughs).
In time, he [Mittu] will form his own identity. I wasn’t like this 11 years ago. I interviewed Mittu only for 10 minutes and knew he was the guy. We want loyal, passionate people. He is very passionate about what he does—especially his hair. AirAsia is what it is because of all our people, not because of two-three guys at the top. I know everyone in the airline. You got to like people. We are aggressive in AirAsia, but it’s people-oriented marketing.
Being profitable in India
Chandilya: AirAsia is not a typical Indian company; there is no hierarchy. We make decisions very fast, we move very fast. If I meet a state chief minister one day, I can get him a proposal by the end of the day. We are not a company that does a tonne of analysis again and again before making a decision. It’s based on relationships and trust here. This is why we can be dynamic at pricing—which a lot of airlines may not be able to do. In India, there is a strong correlation between fares of different airlines. We will not be like that.
I have been spending time in KL [Kuala Lumpur] and with the other [AirAsia] subsidiaries, getting to know the business. The airlines in the group, all share the same brand and many of the processes. But each has to cater to its own market. The strategy is unique, depending on what is needed. For example, distribution is very different in Indonesia compared to Thailand.
Fernandes: The falling number of domestic Indian flyers shows that airlines haven’t got it right. There are thousands of people in Dubai who want to come down more often. The numbers could be huge if the price is right. The pricing has to be about two-and-a-half times that of a premium bus fare for the same distance. A bus would take eight to 12 hours between some distances; a flight can cut this.
Thailand took us six years to figure out, but we’ve got smarter. We have deep enough pockets. We are among the most profitable airlines in the world. We are well capitalised.
AirAsia is different
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(This story appears in the 26 July, 2013 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
Great to see Air Asia starting their operations in India .Can certainly see more action in Aviation Industry. Aviation industries is a competitive business however Air Asia sales seems to increase largely with their competitive pricing and quality service
on Sep 24, 2015Interesting write-up. Hope Tata succeeds in aviaition sector also as they launched Tata Nano successfully....
on Sep 8, 2013Dear Sir, My son has graduated from AST (Air Service Training) Perth, Scotland, as Aircraft Maintenance Engg. How do i apply for Technican Post. I would be grateful if guidance is provided. Tks Regds. Kasi
on Jul 21, 2013I think they will bring in maturity to this industry. Great to think out of the box
on Jul 20, 2013I believe Mr Tony Mittu combination is going to be a great history in Air Asia\'s book. Mark this! All the best sir!
on Jul 18, 2013