AirAsia is in discussions to establish a Myanmar based airline venture.
CEO Tony Fernandes told Reuters talks are advanced and it will partner with an unnamed airline to establish the business.
"We had a good meeting with someone in Sydney – he’s got a good airline that we’ve known for a long time and he is a well-respected guy. We’re going through that process," Fernandes said without disclosing any more details.
"It’s not going to be a big airline there (Myanmar), because the airport infrastructure is not there. But it is 50 million people and it will develop over time."
Fernandes added that its planned Vietnam joint venture is on track to launch in October 2018.
These two new bases would give AirAsia a major stranglehold on the Southeast Asian budget travel market.
"Once you’ve covered Vietnam and Myanmar, you’ve got all the big (Southeast Asian) populations. Vietnam – we’re talking about October. We’ve had great support from the Vietnam government and we have a great partner. My team are very bullish.
It already operates regional businesses in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan and Thailand, and is in the process of starting one in China.
