At 40, Tony Fernandes is among the youngest business leaders to watch. In just under two years the Malaysian-born chief executive of budget carrier AirAsia has expanded his fleet from a handful of aircraft to more than 18.
If current growth continues, the former music company executive expects to double his fleet by the end of next year, a forecast he says is backed by orders for 40 new Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s to be finalised in the next few weeks.
If there were any local sceptics of the power of the low-cost, no-frills airline business model, they were silenced with the launch of daily services between Bangkok and Macau last week.
Introductory discount fares for one-way tickets of $149 had something to do with it, but Mr Fernandes says the strong response from Hong Kong residents - estimated to have snapped up 40 per cent of the tickets on the first few flights - vindicates his faith in a concept that many airline industry officials said would not fly.
The first flight had barely taxied to the terminal before AirAsia head office in Kuala Lumpur announced the airline would double its service to two flights daily in September. Later in the week, Mr Fernandes hinted the airline would add daily services to Phuket and Penang in coming months.
'I think we proved the punters wrong,' Mr Fernandes says of what he calls the Macau hub.