AirAsia QZ8501: Fernandes draws positive feedback with personal touch

Mr Fernandes (right) greeting Indonesian President Joko Widodo when the latter arrived Tuesday at the crisis centre at Juanda International Airport Terminal 2 in Surabaya to meet grieving family members. -- ST PHOTO

JAKARTA: As AirAsia faces its most serious crisis to date, the man who built up the budget airline from scratch has put himself front and centre.

Chief executive Tony Fernandes has engaged the public, visited families and rallied his staff, even as search parties scoured the seas for two days to locate Flight QZ8501.