AirAsia group chief executive Tony Fernandes managed to escape the Paris air show with most of his money still in his pocket after a visit yesterday.

The airline baron didn't move the order tally at all, a stark contrast to other recent Paris and Farnborough air shows where the group placed large orders for Airbus A320s and A330s.

This time, Fernandes attended a press conference to launch Airbus's new electronic Flight Folder software package. Developed in conjunction with the airline, the package will allow pilots to remotely access charts and other flight-planning material electronically, helping to save weight and increase efficiency.

"Initiatives such as this will help us become an even better airline," he says.

Fernandes reveals also that the carrier has developed a new slimline, weight-saving seat for its A320neos, while the start date for the group's new Japanese operation has been put back to early 2016.

There had been cause for celebration earlier that day too as AirAsia took out the Skytrax award for world's best low-cost airline for the seventh year in a row.

Source: Cirium Dashboard