SEPANG, 9 MARCH 2026: AirAsia has solidified its position as a global leader in aviation sustainability, ranking among the top five airlines in the latest benchmarked FTSE Russell ESG ratings.
This achievement underscores the success of the group’s strategy to embed climate risk management, transparent governance and operational efficiency into its core business.
In the latest FTSE Russell ESG assessments, AirAsia Group airlines demonstrated strong performance across Malaysian and Thai exchanges for their 2024 achievements. For the year of assessment, AirAsia’s short-haul airlines’ ESG performance was incorporated in Capital A’s disclosures and rated by Bursa Malaysia. In contrast, AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia were rated by Bursa Malaysia and the Thai Stock Exchange, respectively.
Capital A* recorded a significant jump in score, rising to 4.0 out of 5.0 from 3.5 the previous year, while AirAsia X** (flight code D7) scored 3.8. AirAsia’s Thai associate, Asia Aviation, which operates Thai AirAsia (flight code FD), earned 3.9 in its second year of assessment. The ratings assessed the companies’ 2024 sustainability deliverables.
These scores not only place AirAsia airlines among the top-tier companies of their respective exchanges but also position the group as a top performer when benchmarked against global airline peers rated by the same FTSE Russell ESG standards.
AirAsia also benchmarks against the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), which evaluates publicly listed companies with a market capitalisation above USD1 billion. In the latest assessment based on 2024 performance, AirAsia achieved a score of 45%, exceeding the global airline industry average of 37%.
Adding further weight to these benchmarked results are two international industry accolades earned in 2025. Australia-based independent aviation analysis platform 42kft.com awarded AirAsia perfect 10 scores in all nine evaluation categories. Meanwhile, AirlineRatings.com, widely known for its global airline safety ratings, named AirAsia among the Top 3 Low-Cost Carriers in its inaugural Sustainability Award. Both recognitions are independently assessed by aviation industry experts, lending additional credibility and significance to the group’s achievements.
“Over the years, we have built the foundations that underpin our ESG ratings, but our sustainability efforts go far beyond any rating criteria. Our results reflect the discipline and hard work our teams have put into embedding sustainability into daily operations. We doubled down on fuel efficiency measures and continued investing in low-carbon technologies that deliver dual benefits, lowering fuel costs while reducing carbon emissions,” said AirAsia.Chief Sustainability Officer Yap Mun Ching.
“At the same time, the technicalities of aviation sustainability are often not easily understood by our stakeholders. We work closely with our regulators, industry partners, and passengers to ensure our decarbonisation strategy is clear and delivers lasting impact for our business and the region,” she added.
The scores referenced reflect the performance of AirAsia’s aviation business before its recent corporate restructuring, enabling a consistent year-on-year comparison.
*In January 2026, Capital A Berhad completed the disposal of AiAirAsia’short-haul airline businesses based in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Cambodia to AirAsia X Berhad.
**AirAsia X scores refer to the pre-merger entity operating the airline grgroup’sidebody operations in Malaysia.
CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) is an International Civil Aviation Organisation global market-based measure designed to cap CO2 emissions from international flights at 85% of 2019 levels.
