PANJIM: A person of Goan origin, Tony Fernandes the brain behind the budget airline Air Asia, made his way into the Time magazine’s 12th annual “Time 100 Most Influential People in the World” list released on Thursday.
The list includes figures ranging from politicians to pop culture icons – 40 women among them – including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, North Korea dictator Kim Jong-un, US President Barack Obama, US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton making her eighth appearance and Pakistani girls’ education activist Malala Yousafzai, 17, who is the youngest person on the list for the third straight year. The oldest is 88-year-old Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi.
AirAsia, is the leading and largest low-cost carrier in Asia, and services the most extensive network with 87 destinations. Within 12 years of operations, AirAsia has carried over 200 million guests and grown its fleet from just two aircraft to over 150.
The airline has been named the World’s Best Low Cost Airline in the annual World Airline Survey by Skytrax for five consecutive years from 2009 to 2013 and the ‘World’s Leading Low Cost Airline’ at the 2013 World Travel Awards.
Others on this year’s list include singer Kanye West, comedian Kevin Hart, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Cuban President Raul Castro, Russian President Vladimir Putin, movie director Christopher Nolan, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, pop star Taylor Swift and astronaut Scott Kelly.
Modi and Aam Aadmi’s Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal were also among the world’s 100 most influential people, according to a list published by the Time magazine last year (2014).
Last year’s list included Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping, singer Beyonce, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his predecessor Clinton, Pope Francis, Putin, Malala Yousafzai, whistleblower Edward Snowden and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe among others.
