The French government has conferred Tony Fernandes, Group CEO, AirAsia with the Commander of the Legion d’Honneur award, signifying Fernandes’s outstanding contributions towards the economy of France through the aviation industry. Francois Hollande, President of France conferred the honourable award to Fernandes in a ceremony held at the Elysée Palace in Paris, France.
The Legion d’Honneur award was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 to recognise outstanding service of individuals to France, and the Commander of the Legion d’Honneur is the highest rank of honour that the French government can award to a non-French citizen.
“As the Group CEO of AirAsia and Co-Chairman of Caterham Group, I am proud that we are positively contributing both directly and indirectly towards many peoples’ lives in France and across the world. This is great motivation for me to continue to steer both Caterham Group and AirAsia to greater heights, and once again, I am grateful for this incredible honour,” said Tony Fernandes.
Fernandes was previously conferred the Officier of the Legion d’Honneur award by the French Government in 2010. Tony Fernandes co-founded AirAsia and has led the airline in its transformation from a loss-making airline into a global brand today. Under his leadership, AirAsia has grown from two aircraft to 164 aircraft for both AirAsia and AirAsia X, and from 250 staff workforce to nearly 12,000 today.
