The pandemic has certainly brought about a ‘new normal’ in all aspects of our lives. Not only has it changed the way we socialise, work, travel or run businesses, but it has also changed the way of life as we know it.

As most of us are struggling to come to terms with the new normal, we will soon learn that being agile and adaptive is the only way to survive this global crisis.

AirAsia made a painful decision to hibernate our fleet of aircraft in March, putting a stop to most of our revenue streams and many Allstars had to stand down during this period. But to save the jobs of over 23,000 Allstars around the world, we have to be nimble.

A silver lining

Teleport, the logistic arm of AirAsia now stands at the forefront of the airline group. Cargo businesses are experiencing a surge in demand to transport medical and essential supplies.

Throughout this period, around five to seven of AirAsia’s Airbus A330 aircraft will come out of hibernation not to transport passengers, but to carry essential cargo between Kuala Lumpur and various destinations including Sabah, Sarawak, China, South Korea and Australia to name a few.

“Teleport, along with OURSHOP are some of the key subsidiaries of AirAsia Group’s digital and lifestyle offerings that continue to operate during this period. Our goal remains to continue to operate our domestic and international network by flying cargo-only on passenger planes so we are able to accommodate critical cargo and e-commerce needs. We want to be helpful,” says Teleport CEO Pete Chareonwongsak.

The last mile

While the cargo business continues to operate, the group also saw opportunities to help micro, small and medium enterprises throughout Malaysia by leveraging the strong infrastructure that we have.
Within a week, the team at Teleport outlined plans on how to deliver food and groceries, beginning with the Klang Valley. Together with AirAsia’s e-commerce platform OURSHOP, the Save Our Shops (S.O.S) campaign was launched to call for all micro, small and medium enterprises to bring their products online, with last mile delivery supported by Teleporters – Teleport’s on-ground delivery partners.
To support the local businesses, both commission and listing fees was waived for all merchants throughout the year. At the time of writing, this campaign has attracted over 4,000 interested merchants, with over 1,000 successfully enrolled – mostly merchants of fresh produce and groceries.
Hundreds of Allstars who have stood down from operations in Malaysia have registered to be Teleporters to deliver essential goods to households in Peninsular Malaysia during the nationwide Movement Control Order (MCO) enabling them to have supplementary income.

*“We deliver to you so you can stay home for us” – Teleporters*

Allstar Teleporters

One of the Allstars who had to temporarily hang up his uniform was Captain Lim Wei Lung, a commander of Airbus A320 aircraft for AirAsia.

“I have been spending time with family at home when the MCO started, but when I heard that they are recruiting for Teleporters, I took up the challenge to help the company, the local businesses and the communities who had to stay at home,” says Captain Lim.
Besides teleporting daily essentials, Captain Lim also utilises his pilot’s acumen to monitor and troubleshoot operational issues with the team at Teleport. “It is great teamwork, I enjoyed working with Teleporters from all walks of life and I hope to be able to help out even after MCO,” added Captain Lim.

There is no denying that times are tough for everyone and this ‘new normal’ might be here to stay, but with agility and resilience, we shall pilot ourselves out of these turbulent times.

After all, we are #InThisTogether.

If you’re keen to be a Teleporter, you may apply through this link: http://teleport.asia/apply