Air Asia founder hoping to develop continent's next super app

AirAsia’s founder Tony Fernandes is developing what could be the region’s next "super app" for food delivery, shopping, payments, entertainment, and travel as he seeks to rival the likes of Singapore-based Grab, Indonesia’s GoJek, and China’s WeChat.

The Air Asia boss has been working to improve the app and the company's payments platform BigPay during the travel slump when AirAsia was forced to cut 30 percent of its staff.

Fernandes, whose AirAsia planes were grounded, described the downturn as a blessing in disguise as it allowed his company to focus more on alternatives to generate income.

He added that running an airline is time-consuming but they have been given the opportunity and time to focus on their digital business.

The AirAsia app also offers users a messaging service.

Fernandes noted that AirAsia has always been a digital company and was one of the first airlines to sell online.

He admitted that creating a super app sounds like a lofty target, but Grab and GoJek also started small and that he also has skeptics when he started AirAsia.

Ais Asia has grown to become the continent’s biggest budget carrier.