To the Philippines with Love: AirAsia pledges support and stands with Cebu on the road to recovery and resilience

November 15, 2025 -- To the Philippines with Love: AirAsia pledges support and stands with Cebu on the road to recovery and resilience
In the spirit of Asean solidarity and in supporting regional resilience, AirAsia has launched ‘To the Philippines with Love’ to support recovery efforts following recent natural disasters, including the earthquake that struck Cebu in September and Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi), which severely affected the region.

In playing its part, AirAsia will donate PHP15 for every seat sold from November 15 2025 to January 14, 2026 to support local typhoon relief and recovery programs.

Tony Fernandes, Capital A CEO and Advisor at AirAsia Aviation Group, said: “Connectivity has always been at the heart of what we do, and it goes beyond flights or routes. As one Asean family, in times like these, uniting to help one another is not just the right thing to do, it is who we are. Our hearts are with everyone affected in the Philippines, including our own Allstars. We hope AirAsia’s contribution can bring hope, and help rebuild businesses and enable local residents to get back on their feet.”

The donation will be disbursed by AirAsia Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the airline group, to support relief and rebuilding projects, prioritising community infrastructure and training and awareness to strengthen the capacity of vulnerable communities to respond to future calamities.

Yap Mun Ching, Executive Director of AirAsia Foundation, said, “At AirAsia Foundation, one of our main priorities involves helping communities rebuild stronger after a disaster. As the focus shifts from emergency relief to recovery in these communities, we leverage our network of social enterprises and trusted partners to connect resources with communities in need, supporting them to restore homes and livelihoods and make a meaningful difference for those affected.”

Among recent recipients of the Foundation’s disaster resilience grants in 2024 is Bike Scouts, a social enterprise with more than a decade of on-ground disaster response experience across the Philippines, to provide critical communication access to communities isolated by typhoons, floods and other natural events. In 2025, AirAsia Foundation approved a grant for Arkomjogja, the implementer of past rebuilding and resilience programmes in Indonesia, to document lessons learnt and disseminate knowledge on the organisation’s community-driven post-disaster recovery model.

AirAsia Foundation has a long-standing record of helming AirAsia’s post-disaster campaigns in Asean. Since its establishment in 2012, the Foundation has raised and distributed over USD 4 million to fund responses to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines (2013), the Palu tsunami (2018), and the Malaysian floods (2021), among others. AirAsia Foundation has also awarded over USD 670,000 in social enterprise grants across seven Asean countries, supporting impactful ventures that address poverty alleviation, promote sustainable livelihoods, and build climate resilience.

The donation from AirAsia is in addition to the airline’s ongoing post-earthquake support for government partners through humanitarian flights. In coordination with government authorities, AirAsia transported search-and-rescue teams of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and critical rescue equipment to support emergency relief missions in Cebu.

The pledge was made by AirAsia Philippines CEO and President Capt. Suresh Bangah during the receiving ceremony of AirAsia’s inaugural Kuala Lumpur–Cebu flight, which was welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute at Mactan Cebu International Airport. The flight also marked the official launch of AirAsia’s Cebu hub, strengthening the airline’s commitment to expanding connectivity across the Philippines and the wider Asean region.

The Kuala Lumpur and Macao international services are among five new routes from the Philippines added to AirAsia’s growing network, which now connects travellers to more than 160 destinations group-wide. New domestic routes from Cebu to Davao, Iloilo and Caticlan further reinforce Cebu’s position as a strategic hub, offering guests greater flexibility and value-driven options across the region.

AirAsia currently operates 202 weekly flights to 10 international destinations from the Philippines, underscoring its role as one of the country’s leading carriers for regional connectivity.

Release ID: 89176040