Positive Altitude

The aviation industry is expected to triple in size by 2050. Yet, not only is female representation stubbornly low, young talent is also looking elsewhere. Have decades of underinvestment in diversifying recruitment finally caught up with aviation?  Maria Nieves Rueda Garcia, Director of Safety Management, Sustainability and Global Outreach at EASA joins us to unpack what’s really driving the tale...

What actually happens when a passenger crosses the line at 35,000 feet? ✈️ We’ve all seen the viral videos, passengers shouting, refusing crew instructions, or even attempting to open an aircraft door. But the few minutes we see online are only part of the story.  In this episode, we sit down with Captain Fareh Ishraf Mazputra, General Manager of AirAsia Malaysia, to get a flight commander’s persp...

Scam trafficking has exploded across Southeast Asia, catching authorities off guard and rising to the top of the region’s trafficking landscape in just a few short years. As traditional responses fall short, the race is on for faster, smarter solutions.  On this World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, AirAsia Foundation unveils a new strategy to tackle this evolving crisis. In this episode, foun...

Technology & AI are changing the way airlines operate—from smarter airports to more connected aircraft. But as aviation becomes more digital, cyber threats are evolving just as quickly. Join us as we chat with Jane Wong, AirAsia's Chief Information Security Officer, about what goes on behind the scenes to keep an airline secure. From phishing scams and deepfakes to AI-driven attacks, we ex...

CORSIA is at a major crossroads. The European Union is taking a hard look at its aviation climate targets and raising a critical question: does CORSIA still align with the EU’s plans or will it be pushed aside?  We examine the EU’s review of CORSIA from the outside in - looking at its ripple effects on global supply and demand of eligible credits, and its potential impact on non-EU carriers. We al...

From living room armchairs to bars, restaurants and hotels - retired aircraft are finding unconventional second lives. But is this just the feel-good PR story masking the real challenges of end-of-life disposal? In this episode, we dig into the latest thinking on aircraft decommissioning, focusing on How better value recapture can accelerate fleet upgrading and reduce the industry’s CO2 emissions...

What keeps AirAsia quick on its feet for more than two decades? In this episode, GTR Culture Manager Yvonne Lady Diana spills the beans on how she helped shape the airline’s unique vibe - and how that culture opened the door for women to take on some of the toughest jobs in aviation. Tune in for a story of play, purpose and breaking barriers.  - Malay words and conversation in this episode Baju ku...

CORSIA is expected to generate demand for more than 200 million tonnes of eligible credits, with supply only just expected to keep pace. Yet airlines are still hesitating to make a move. Tune in as Mun Ching and Sylvie unpack the supply bottlenecks, market uncertainty, and rising fuel price pressures shaping aviation’s pathway to decarbonisation.

The highly anticipated Singapore SAF levy takes effect in April 2026, adding a surcharge to departing flights to help scale SAF. But with soaring fuel prices and geopolitical tensions, is SAF still a viable path for airlines? In this episode, Mun Ching and Sylvie kick off the year by unpacking what the levy means and exploring how recent global events and market volatility could reshape aviation’s...

ICAO has published the CORSIA Sectoral Growth Factor for 2024 and it is a whopping 15.9% - far higher than initial forecasts. Although total Phase 1 demand is now set to exceed 200m tonnes of CORSIA eligible units, supply remains constrained. In this season's end episode, we round up all recent developments that are likely to ease the issuance of CORSIA credits. Listen up if you want a piece o...

China’s skies are getting busier than ever. In this episode, Mun Ching reflects on her recent trip to Wuhan and shares insights into how the sector’s resurgence is shaping up. Will low-cost carriers survive amidst stiff competition from established carriers and high-speed rail against a backdrop of sustainability pressures? And will China’s investments in scaling up SAF and launching its COMAC fle...

Artificial Intelligence has been credited for turbocharging many aspects of business but while it offers incredible tools to drive efficiency, ungoverned use could also create conflicts with the very ESG goals that companies are striving to achieve. We unpick some of the hot topics that are keeping AirAsia’s sustainability and tech teams up at night - from energy use to job displacement risks.

Want to be a more conscious traveler? It starts with knowing your impact. We dive into MOVE’s brand new tool that gives you the lowdown on your flight CO2 emissions. Tune in to discover how real data helps you understand your footprint and make better choices for your next trip.

The wait is over - the US Big Beautiful Bill has officially confirmed the retention and extension of SAF tax credits first introduced by the Biden administration in 2022. But with major changes to qualifying criteria, will it boost production volumes at the expense of environmental integrity?   #aviationnetzero #SAF #sustainableaviation #greentech

What happens if the US withdraws from CORSIA? Will Brazil, Russia, India and China join? Are airlines starting to buy CORSIA credits? Where are new supplies coming from? Mun Ching muses on these questions and more after an insightful week at ICAO HQ in Montreal.

As popular destinations in Asean grapple with the downsides of tourism, Mun Ching and Sylvie explore how governments and airlines like AirAsia are tackling the problem. But the solution doesn’t stop there. Find out how you can travel more responsibly and help preserve the places we love.

As airlines face growing scrutiny over their environmental claims, a groundbreaking new audit is aiming to cut through the noise by rigorously evaluating over 140 global airlines against nine key environmental criteria - and AirAsia has emerged with a perfect 10/10!  In this episode, Mun Ching delves into the details with Geoffrey Thomas, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of 42kft.com, as he reveals why Air...

From emergency landings to power banks catching fire and the growing turbulence risks linked to climate change - aviation safety is evolving fast. In this episode, Mun Ching and Sylvie sit down with AirAsia’s Chief Safety & Quality Assurance Officer, Capt. Mohamad Nasser Wahab, to unpack the real safety challenges facing aviation today.

Campaigns to include women in aviation often centre on prominent roles such as pilots but in Malaysia, female air traffic controllers are already holding up half the sky. Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) Air Traffic Controller Nur A’fifah Mansor takes us on a path of how she came to be in her profession and how she is now nurturing a new generation of controllers.

It’s time for a bird’s eye view of what’s afoot in Asean on the sustainable aviation front. Will the region be diverted in the face of headwinds from the US or will China help right the course? Read more here .

Technology has long been the backbone of our operations, driving efficiency and innovation—but it also brings new challenges. This week, we speak with AirAsia’s Chief Technology Officer, Yussman, on tackling digital risks such as the Crowdstrike outage, the transformative power of AI, and why diversity in tech is more crucial than ever.

With corporate sustainability evolving and geopolitical shifts reshaping priorities, is ESG still relevant—or is it on the decline? Tune in as we break down our 2024 ESG results and explore whether ESG ratings truly reflect our sustainability efforts and performance.

To wrap up our first season, we chat with Myles Delfin, founder of Bike Scouts, a 100,000-strong volunteer cyclist network bridging critical communication gaps in disaster-stricken areas of the Philippines. Myles shares the challenges of relief work in a country hit by seven typhoons in just over a month. Find out how you can join his mission to build community resilience ground up. For more infor...

Who are the aircraft lessors and what role do they play in aviation’s decarbonisation? Mun Ching reflects on key takeaways from the Aircraft Leasing Ireland’s Global Aviation Sustainability Day.

While much attention is on reducing carbon emissions in the skies, emissions from ground operations are often overlooked. In this episode, we dive into how we’re working to lower emissions on the ground—from implementing the latest ground power unit technology to electrifying our ground fleet. References: APU Off Programme GTR EV Baggage Tractors