Annual Report 2020

travel restrictions relaxed, from 29 April. Although scheduled international flights have yet to take off, a total of 515 flights out of Malaysia were undertaken during the year - 385 for charter and repatriation; and 130 for cargo. Destinations included Ho Chi Minh City, Hyderabad, Jakarta, Manila, Shenzhen, Vientiane and Yangon; as well as non-operating routes such as Manado, Koror, Dili and Xiamen. In addition to adhering to WHO and ICAO regulations, our Malaysian operations launched a number of digital innovations to ensure safer and more hygienic travel. Those travelling without baggage, for example, can now “do it all themselves” online. During the year, a new system which does away with physical exchange of boarding passes, as these are scanned, was tested at klia2. It is to be rolled out at klia2 in 2021, followed by other airports in Malaysia served by AirAsia. The team also introduced Scan2Fly enabling guests to scan and upload any medical certificates required during the online self-check-in process. The system provides real time verification of relevant health documentation and determines guests’ eligibility to fly before they arrive at the airport. These new technologies add to the biometric facial recognition system, FACES, which was trialled in a couple of airports in 2018 and is now being rolled out in a more concerted manner across Malaysia in 2021. Constantly monitoring demand and adapting its operations to remain commercially viable, AirAsia Malaysia reinstated most of its popular domestic routes in the third and fourth quarters of the year, serving destinations such as Kota Bharu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Langkawi, Penang, Sibu and Tawau. These corresponded to spikes in domestic demand, which reached about 60% of pre-Covid-19 levels in September and December. Demand was further reflected in a marginal increase in RASK y-o-y, from 3.42 US cents to 3.44 US cents. Despite performing commendably under the circumstances, for the first time in 18 years, AirAsia Malaysia was required to right-size its human resources. However, the numbers furloughed or let go were minimised by training and reskilling a significant number of Allstars in digital technologies and absorbing them into AirAsia’s digital businesses. Coincidentally, 2020 was also the year that AirAsia launched Redbeat Academy, our digital training centre, which is where our Allstars received training – mainly online - to help them upskill and pivot into new roles. In addition, a number of Allstars were reassigned to the Customer Happiness Team in order to help manage the significant surge in number of calls and queries received through various digital channels due to flight changes and cancellations. Going forward, AirAsia Malaysia expects to resume flying to a large part of its domestic network by end 2021, and to expand regionally as international borders open up again. With vaccinations, better testing, education and greater immunity, more travel bubbles and green zones will surface, adding to demand. 75 ANNUAL REPORT 2020