Aireen Omar

AIRASIA has appointed Aireen Omar as the new CEO for its Malaysia based operations, effective July 1, 2012.

Aireen currently holds the portfolio of regional head of corporate finance, treasury and investor relations, and has been described by AirAsia group CEO, Tony Fernandes, as a “good negotiator” who is also “tough with banks”.

She was instrumental in securing the financing for AirAsia’s fleet expansion, as well as handling negotiations with Airbus for the record purchase of 200 Airbus A320neo aircraft.

In her new role, Aireen will focus on the day-to-day operations of AirAsia’s Malaysian office, leaving Fernandes to focus on further expansion in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan.

At a press conference today to mark Aireen’s appointment, Fernandes said: “The physical separation (from me and Kamarudin Meranun, deputy CEO of AirAsia) will allow (Aireen) to grow and not be overshadowed by us. We are not abandoning Malaysia, but if we are in Malaysia, we will be all over Aireen.”

On her new appointment, Aireen said: “I am excited about the new challenges ahead of me. My focus will be on growing the marketshare in Malaysia and preparing AirAsia for the ASEAN Open Skies in 2015.”