France govt confers ‘Officier of the Legion d’ Honneur’ title to Tony Fernandes, CEO, AirAsia

The Government of France yesterday conferred Dr Tony Fernandes, CEO, AirAsia Group the title of ‘Officier of the Legion d’ Honneur’ for his outstanding contributions to the aviation industry. Dominique Bussereau, Secretary of State for Transport of France, conferred the title to Fernandes in a ceremony held in Paris and was attended by some of the biggest names in European business.

Officier of the Legion d’ Honneur is the highest rank of honour that the Government of France can award to a non-French citizen.  The Legion d’ Honneur was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 to recognise outstanding service to France.

As per the release, AirAsia has contributed largely to the French and European economies by supporting the European-owned and Toulouse-based Airbus, an EADS company.  AirAsia has placed orders of Airbus aircraft including 175 A320, 25 A330 and ten A350 aircraft. AirAsia also has an option to purchase 50 more A320 and five more A350 aircraft. AirAsia uses Airbus aircraft extensively for its flights.