Asean: Economic unity is a long way off (Financial Times)
November 9, 2011
AirAsia, the Malaysian no-frills airline, has tapped into demand from the fast-growing middle class in south-east Asia with its slogan: Now Everyone Can Fly.
But, in a region where state-owned behemoths and favoured oligarchs still dominate in many domestic air-travel markets, it is not always so easy to get off the ground.
The budget carrier pulled out of Vietnam last month, after four years of wrangling with the government, which refused to let it fly under the AirAsia brand, the key to its business model.
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