1. AirAsia Berhad: Based in Kuala Lumpur, AirAsia flies domestic and international flights and was the first carrier to introduce low-cost travelling in Asia when it launched in November 1996. It was founded by government-owned DRB-Hicom. When the airline ran into hard times, it was taken over and revived by former Time Warner executive Tony Fernandes. AirAsia is now a public listed company on the Malaysia Stock Exchange and flies to more than 60 destinations. It has 69 aircraft.
2. Jetstar Asia: Based in Singapore, the airline launched in December 2004 with a Hong Kong service. Qantas and Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited jointly own more than 80% of Jetstar Asia. The carrier merged with Valuair in July 2005 and both fly out of Singapore to major cities in South-east Asia. It has 10 aircraft. In the Skytrax Airline of the Year survey for 2006, Jetstar Asia was awarded the best low-cost airline for both the Asia and South-east Asia categories, and last year was ranked as the world's best low-cost airline by SkyTrax.
3. Nok Air: Based in Bangkok, Nok Air was established in February 2004 by Sky Asia Co.
4. Tiger Airways: Offering one of the lowest possible airfares in the market, Tiger Airways first flew from Singapore in September 2004 with two aircraft and three routes in its network. It now flies to more than 25 destinations across nine countries in the Asia-Pacific. it has just ordered 50 new Airbus A320s to grow its fleet to 70 Airbus aircraft.
5. Cebu Pacific: Launched in March 1996, Cebu Pacific pioneered low-coast flying in The Philippines. It started flying internationally in November 2001 and now has services to Bangkok, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kaohsiung, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Osaka, Pusan, Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore and Taipei. It has 21 aircraft.
6.Virgin Blue: Founded by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, Virgin Blue started in August 2000 with just two aircraft as the first low-fare airline in Australia. It is one of the world's most profitable airline groups incorporating Virgin Blue, Pacific Blue (Australia), Pacific Blue (New Zealand), Polynesian Blue and V Australia. Virgin Blue was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in December 2003. With its
international carriers Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue, it has a fleet of 60 aircraft.
7. Air Deccan: India's first low-cost airline, Air Deccan was launched by Capt GR Gopinath in August 2003, flying from Bangalore to Hubli. It revolutionised air travel in India by offering tickets affordable for most Indians.
8. SpiceJet: Based in New Delhi, SpiceJet started flying in May 2005. Now India's second-largest low-cost airline in terms of market share, it was earlier known as Royal Airways, a reincarnation of ModiLuft.
9. Viva Macau: China's Viva Macau was founded in 2004. With its fleet of 15 Boeing 767 wide-body jetliners, it offers non-stop services to Sydney, Ho Chi Minh and Jakarta.
10. Hong Kong Express: Hong Kong Airlines and Hong Kong Express Airways were established in 2001 and 2004 respectively. The sister airlines provide services between Hong Kong and more than 30 cities in Asia with its fleet of 13 Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
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