AirAsia Zest

Last updated

AirAsia Zest
AirAsia Zest Logo.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
  • 6K
  • Z2
  • RIT
  • EZD
  • ASIAN SPIRIT
  • ZEST
FoundedSeptember 1995 (1995-09)
(as Asian Spirit)
Commenced operations
  • April 1996 (1996-04)
    (as Asian Spirit)
  • 30 September 2008 (2008-09-30)
    (as Zest Air)
  • 21 September 2013 (2013-09-21)
    (as AirAsia Zest)
Ceased operations6 December 2015 (2015-12-06) [1]
(merged into Philippines AirAsia)
AOC # 2009003 [2]
Operating bases
Fleet size15 [3]
Destinations13 [3]
Parent company
Headquarters Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
Key people
Website www.airasia.com

Zest Airways, Inc., operated as AirAsia Zest (formerly Asian Spirit and Zest Air), was a Filipino low-cost airline based at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay, Metro Manila in the Philippines. It operated scheduled domestic and international tourist services, mainly feeder services linking Manila and Cebu with 24 domestic destinations in support of the trunk route operations of other airlines.

Contents

The airline was founded as Asian Spirit, the first airline in the Philippines to be run as a cooperative. After its acquisition by AMY Holdings of businessman Alfredo Yao in 2008, the airline was rebranded as Zest Airways. In 2013, the airline was rebranded as AirAsia Zest and became an affiliate of Philippines AirAsia operating their brand separately.

The airline was merged together with AirAsia Philippines to form Philippines AirAsia in 2015.[ citation needed ]

History

Beginnings as Asian Spirit

Asian Spirit NAMC YS-11 airliner at Sandakan Airport, Malaysia (August 2007) Asian Spirit NAMC YS-11A MRD-2.jpg
Asian Spirit NAMC YS-11 airliner at Sandakan Airport, Malaysia (August 2007)
Logo of Asian Spirit Asian Spirit Logo.png
Logo of Asian Spirit

Asian Spirit was established in September 1995 by Antonio "Toti" Turalba, Emmanuel "Noel" Oñate and Archibald Po, who contributed US$1 million each to start up the Airline Employees Cooperative (AEC). They arranged for 36 of their friends, mostly former Philippine Airlines employees, to run Asian Spirit through a salary-to-equity swap deal. The Po family held the majority of ownership. [5] [6] [7]

It started operations in April 1996 with two second-hand Dash 7 aircraft servicing only one scheduled commercial route with two flights per day from Manila to Malay, serving the fledgling resort island of Boracay. To maximise its aircraft utilisation, it introduced new routes to the present-day towns of San Jose, Virac, Daet and Alcantara, and the cities of Cauayan and Masbate, regarded as secondary and tertiary routes by Air Transportation Office, and not serviced by major airlines. In 1997, the cooperative changed to a corporate set-up with the establishment of Asian Spirit, Inc., whose registration was approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2005.

At the time, Asian Spirit has the distinction of being the first scheduled airline to serve Caticlan Airport, the nearest airport serving Boracay. Other operators served the airport on a charter basis then. It became the Philippines' fourth flag carrier (after Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines) in 2003.

The airline planned to fly to three international destinations to Sandakan, Malaysia from Zamboanga, to Seoul from Kalibo, Laoag, and Davao, and Macau from Angeles City. However these international routings never took off. [8] It also intended to commence international expansion to Bangkok in 2007. [9]

Rebranding as Zest Airways

Logo of Zest Air ZestAir.svg
Logo of Zest Air
A Zest Air Airbus A320 in 2012 RP-C8994 Airbus A320 Zest Air (7838113390).jpg
A Zest Air Airbus A320 in 2012

In January 2008, Asian Spirit was sold to AMY Holdings, a holding company controlled by businessman Alfredo Yao. [10] The acquisition was completed on March 29 of that year. [11] After the success of the takeover, Yao expressed interest in merging Asian Spirit with South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR). [12] Yao had been expected to purchase a sixty percent stake in SEAIR, [10] but the merger talks failed and both airlines continued to operate independently. [11]

On September 30, 2008, Asian Spirit announced that it would be re-branding itself as Zest Airways to reflect the stake of the owner, Zest-O Corporation, in the airline. [13] In 2009, Zest Airways intended to establish a hub at Diosdado Macapagal International Airport. [14]

Partnership with AirAsia and merger

AirAsia Zest livery RP-C8997 - AirAsia Zest - Airbus A320-232 - ICN (18017744354).jpg
AirAsia Zest livery

On March 11, 2013, Zest Airways signed a share swap agreement with AirAsia Philippines. The share swap deal involved exchange of shares between the owner of Zest Airways, Filipino shareholders of AirAsia Philippines, Inc. and AirAsia Berhad of Malaysia. [15] On the same day, the airlines announced a strategic alliance that would integrate the operations of both airlines while still operating as separate entities. [16] The deal closed on May 10, 2013. [17]

On August 16, 2013, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) suspended the airline's air operating certificate due to safety issues. [18] The suspension was lifted on August 20. [19]

Less than a year after the strategic alliance with AirAsia Philippines, on September 21, the airline was rebranded as "AirAsia Zest". During its initial phases, ZestAir's website carried an image of an aircraft featuring AirAsia's signature red livery and the Zest title on the body and AirAsia's signature red livery on the tail. The rebranded airline has a new theme "AirAsia Zest, the right way to fly." [20]

AirAsia Zest eventually merged with AirAsia Philippines in 2015 to form Philippines AirAsia. This merger effectively phased out the AirAsia Zest brand. Both airlines completed the transition to a single operating certificate in September of that year. [21] AirAsia Zest then ceased operations on December 6, 2015. [1]

Destinations

Zest Airways served the following destinations prior to August 2013, when its operating license was revoked:

CountryCityAirportNotesRefs
China Chengdu Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport Terminated
Quanzhou Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport
Shanghai Shanghai Pudong International Airport
Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong International Airport Terminated [22]
Macau Macau Macau International Airport Terminated [22]
Malaysia Sandakan Sandakan Airport Terminated
Palau Koror Roman Tmetuchl International Airport Terminated
Philippines (Luzon) Baguio Loakan Airport Terminated
Basco Basco Airport Terminated
Busuanga Francisco B. Reyes Airport Terminated [23]
Cauayan Cauayan Airport Terminated
Clark Diosdado Macapagal International Airport Terminated
Daet Bagasbas Airport Terminated
Laoag Laoag International Airport Terminated
Legazpi Legazpi Airport Terminated [23]
Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport Base
Marinduque Marinduque Airport Terminated [23]
Masbate Moises R. Espinosa Airport Terminated [23]
Naga Naga Airport Terminated
Puerto Princesa Puerto Princesa International Airport
San Jose (Mindoro) San Jose Airport Terminated
Tablas Tugdan Airport Terminated [23]
Taytay Cesar Lim Rodriguez Airport Terminated
Tuguegarao Tuguegarao Airport Terminated
Virac Virac Airport Terminated
Philippines (Mindanao) Cagayan de Oro Laguindingan Airport
Davao Francisco Bangoy International Airport
Dipolog Dipolog Airport Terminated
Jolo Jolo Airport Terminated
Pagadian Pagadian Airport Terminated
Surigao Surigao Airport Terminated
Tandag Tandag Airport Terminated
Tawi-Tawi Sanga-Sanga Airport Terminated
Zamboanga Zamboanga International Airport Terminated
Philippines (Visayas) Bacolod Bacolod–Silay Airport
Calbayog Calbayog Airport Terminated
Catarman Catarman National Airport Terminated
Caticlan/Boracay Godofredo P. Ramos Airport Terminated
Cebu Mactan–Cebu International Airport Base
Iloilo Iloilo International Airport
Kalibo Kalibo International Airport
San Jose (Antique) Evelio B. Javier Airport Terminated
Tacloban Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport
Tagbilaran Tagbilaran Airport
Singapore Singapore Changi Airport Terminated
South Korea Busan Gimhae International Airport Terminated
Cheongju Cheongju International Airport Terminated
Daegu Daegu International Airport Terminated
Muan Muan International Airport Terminated
Seoul Incheon International Airport
Taiwan Taipei Taoyuan International Airport Terminated [24]

Fleet

AirAsia Zest and its predecessors operated the following aircraft during its existence: [25] [26]

Asian Spirit British Aerospace 146 in 2008 Asian Spirit BAe 146-100 Prasertwit.jpg
Asian Spirit British Aerospace 146 in 2008
AirAsia Zest retired fleet
AircraftYear retired
Airbus A320-200 2015
British Aerospace ATP 2008
British Aerospace 146-100 2008
British Aerospace 146-200 2008
CASA/IPTN CN-235 2008
de Havilland Canada Dash 7 2009
Let-410 2008
McDonnell Douglas MD-82 2008
McDonnell Douglas MD-83 2008
NAMC YS-11 2008
Xian MA60 2013

Accidents and incidents

As Asian Spirit

As Zest Airways

As AirAsia Zest

See also

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References

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