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Message: <blockquote data-quote="sithwarrior" data-source="post: 8919" data-attributes="member: 710"><p>Now theres an unexpected development. Wow Fax starts flying to australia on sept 8 onwards... now thats cool..<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite8" alt=":D" title="Big Grin    :D" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":D" />  <img src="http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/3627/bransonvu4.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - British billionaire Richard Branson of Virgin Group is touted to be taking a stake in Malaysia's new AirAsia long-haul budget airline, the Star newspaper reported.  Branson would take a 20 percent stake in Fly Asian Express (FAX), teaming up with Asia's aviation tycoon Tony Fernandes to run flights from Malaysia to China, Europe and Australia, the newspaper reported citing sources familiar with the negotiations. It said AirAsia chief executive Fernandes and his deputy Kamarudin Meranum would sell 20 percent of their stake to Branson, the founder of Virgin Group.Fernandes has a 50 percent stake in FAX, while Kamarudin owns 30 percent.Although Fernandes had previously denied Branson's involvement, he admitted that the two parties were in discussions, the newspaper reported. "I won't hide the fact that we're talking, we're always exchanging ideas, but it is not settled," Fernandes was quoted as saying by the newspaper in a separate interview. FAX recently signed a contract for 15 wide-body A330-300 airliners from Airbus, with the first new A330 to be delivered in the third-quarter of 2008.Each aircraft costs 175 million dollars, and the purchase would be funded with a combination of borrowings and equity. FAX is scheduled to begin its long-haul flights to China and Australia from September 8, using three leased planes from the low-cost carrier terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), company executives have said.Fernandes launched AirAsia as a pioneering regional budget carrier in December, 2001, with just two aircraft. It now serves domestic and international routes throughout the region. Fernandes announced his long-haul plan in January. He is not the first to try budget long-haul travel and analysts say the model remains to be proven despite its success on short-haul flights</p></blockquote><p></p>

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