AirAsia executives summoned for questioning in India corruption case
India’s Enforcement Directorate has summoned AirAsia’s top brass for questioning over allegations of money laundering and bribery.
The ED filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against the airline and various executives back in 2018.
Those summoned include group CEO Tony Fernandes and group president Bo Lingam.
Officials at AirAsia India were accused of trying to illegally circumvent the ‘5/20’ Rule which allows airlines to fly overseas.
At the time an India based airline could only apply for international routes after operating for five years and had a minimum of 20 aircraft.
The airline didn’t meet these rules at the time.
It was accused of putting pressure on and then bribing aviation officials to remove the rules.
Multiple AirAsia offices were raided in 2018.
AirAsia director R Venkataramanan lobbied officials to ditch the 5/20 Rule.
Fernandes also allegedly used catering services executive Sunil Kapur as a lobbyist and rewarded him with a services contract for AirAsia.
According to the ED investigation report, Bo Lingam and Kapur handed over a package filled with cash to an aviation department official as an incentive to accelerate the removal of the 5/20 Rule.
The airline has made no comment on the summons or if executives will comply with it.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt