THE current economic turbulence may be sending many airlines into a tailspin but Air Asia founder Tony Fernandes looks like anything but a man under siege.

Asia's biggest budget airline is not laying off staff, cutting wages or scaling back operations.

On the contrary, it has scrapped its fuel surcharge, ordered more than 150 new Airbus 320s, stepped up flights between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, opened a new route to India and will be flying from Kuala Lumpur to London's Stansted airport in March.

Read Wong Kim Hoh's full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.