How these Asian airline industry leaders are spearheading the resurgence of air travel

Shih Chien Hsieh has over 40 years of experience at China Airlines, having joined Tawian’s national carrier in 1979 and holding several leadership roles in the company over the decades. The airline veteran was appointed president in 2016 before becoming chairman in 2019. Under his leadership, China Airlines has focused on modernising its fleet, expanding its cargo operations, and growing its footprint across the world. The carrier has acquired several Airbus A321neos and Boeing 777 freighters most recently. And starting July 2024, China Airlines will also offer five weekly non-stop flights to Seattle. With the addition of the Taipei-Seattle route, the carrier expands its North American network to six non-stop destinations, including Los Angeles, Ontario (CA), San Francisco, New York and Vancouver. The new route provides greater convenience to travellers, with China Airlines having over 40 return flights to North America each week.

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Irfan Setiaputra was appointed president and CEO of national carrier Garuda Indonesia in 2020 just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the aviation industry. Nevertheless, the CEO, who has a background in tech companies like IBM, Cisco and IoT firm Sigfox, forged a path forward, improving the carrier’s digital services and mobile app to better integrate offerings for passengers. In 2023, the carrier was named The World’s Best Airline Cabin Crew at the World Airline Awards, its sixth time receiving the accolade from aviation rating agency Skytrax. At the awarding ceremony in Paris, the CEO shared how the award signifies the carrier’s commitment to “...always provide the best service that represents the diversity of Indonesian culture in all our service lines to all service users”. In 2024, Garuda Indonesia reported first-quarter revenues of US$711.98 million, an increase of over 18 per cent from last year.

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At the Air Transport World Airline Industry Achievement Awards in May 2024, Singapore Airlines (SIA) CEO Goh Choon Phong was honoured with the Excellence in Leadership award, while the carrier’s Scoot subsidiary was named Value Airline of the Year. The CEO was lauded for his visionary leadership, which has resulted in the strong recovery of SIA and Scoot from the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. “Navigating the challenges brought about by the pandemic has been a difficult journey. Our success is a testament to the exceptional Singapore Airlines family, whose sacrifices, perseverance, and dedication allowed us to emerge stronger than before,” he said in a statement.

The CEO has been in the news lately for receiving a 20 per cent annual pay bump to US$6 million, a raise spurred by SIA’s record annual profit of US$1.99 billion for fiscal year 2023/24. In the same period, SIA and Scoot carried a combined 36.4 million passengers, an increase of over 37 per cent.

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Starlux Airlines had a buzzy entry into Taiwan’s aviation market. Its founder, Guo Wei Chang, who is the son of the late EVA Airways founder Chung Yung-fa, established the boutique airline after he was ousted from EVA in a succession battle among the titan’s heirs. In 2020, Starlux Airlines launched its inaugural flights to much fanfare: it sold out its first three flights to Macau, Da Nang and Penang, curated an upscale image with ’50s-inspired crew uniform, and was the first in Taiwan to use the new Airbus A321neo.

Since then, the airline has continued its expansion, adding more routes to destinations in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines. In 2023, the luxury carrier launched its inaugural long-haul flight to Los Angeles with the new Airbus A350. Starlux currently operates a fleet of 21 aircraft, including 13 A321neo, four A330neo and four A350-900 aircraft, and continues to acquire more aircraft, with five Airbus A350F freighters and three A330neo wide-body aircraft slated for delivery in 2025 and 2025, respectively.

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Lucio Tan III continues the legacy of his grandfather, Lucio Tan, the Filipino tycoon who built companies such as Philippine Airlines (PAL), Asia Brewery, Tanduay Distillers, Fortune Tobacco Corporation, Philippine National Bank and more.

In 2023 the younger Tan, who holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from Stanford University, was appointed as president of both PAL Holdings and the Lucio Tan Group. Of his appointment, Tan III shared his commitment “to providing stability and upholding the highest level of integrity within the company”.

This year, PAL reported first-quarter earnings of US$826 million, with over 28,000 flights carrying 3.8 million passengers. In October 2024, the national carrier will also launch thrice-weekly, non-stop flights between Manila and Seattle. The new route marks its eighth destination in North America, which already includes San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, New York, Toronto, Honolulu and Guam. To renew its long-haul fleet, PAL recently acquired an additional 777-300ER aircraft and will be receiving nine Airbus A350-1000s in 2025.

Read Lucio Tan III’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

Tatler Asia’s Most Influential is the definitive list of people shaping our world today. Asia's Most Influential brings together the region's most innovative changemakers, industry titans and thought leaders who are driving positive impact in Asia and beyond. View the full list here.

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