AirAsia recently launched its To the Philippines with Love initiative as a way of supporting regional resilience within ASEAN.
This particular programme was created to support recovery efforts following recent natural disasters that hit the Philippines, particularly the powerful earthquake that hit Cebu as well as Typhoon Kalmaegi.
By playing its part in expressing solidarity with its Southeast Asian neighbour, AirAsia will donate PHP15 for every seat sold from now until 14th January 2026 to support local typhoon relief and recovery programmes.
One ASEAN family
Capital A chief executive and AirAsia Aviation Group advisor Tony Fernandes said: “Connectivity has always been at the heart of what we do, and it goes beyond flights or routes. As one ASEAN family, in times like these, uniting to help one another is not just the right thing to do, it is who we are. Our hearts are with everyone affected in the Philippines, including our own Allstars. We hope AirAsia’s contribution can bring hope, and help rebuild businesses and enable local residents to get back on their feet.”
The donation will be disbursed by AirAsia Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the airline group, to support relief and rebuilding projects, prioritising community infrastructure and training and awareness to strengthen the capacity of vulnerable communities to respond to future calamities.
AirAsia Foundation executive director Yap Mun Ching added: “At AirAsia Foundation, one of our main priorities involves helping communities rebuild stronger after a disaster. As the focus shifts from emergency relief to recovery in these communities, we leverage our network of social enterprises and trusted partners to connect resources with communities in need, supporting them to restore homes and livelihoods and make a meaningful difference for those affected.”
Boosting disaster resilience
Among recent recipients of the Foundation’s disaster resilience grants in 2024 is Bike Scouts, a social enterprise with more than a decade of on-ground disaster response experience across the Philippines, to provide critical communication access to communities isolated by typhoons, floods and other natural events.
In 2025, AirAsia Foundation approved a grant for Arkomjogja, the implementer of past rebuilding and resilience programmes in Indonesia, to document lessons learnt and disseminate knowledge on the organisation’s community-driven post-disaster recovery model.
AirAsia Foundation has a long-standing record of helming AirAsia’s post-disaster campaigns in Asean. Since its establishment in 2012, the Foundation has raised and distributed over US$4 million to fund responses to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines (2013), the Palu tsunami (2018), and the Malaysian floods (2021), among others.
The Foundation has also awarded more than US$670,000 in social enterprise grants across seven Asean countries, supporting impactful ventures that address poverty alleviation, promote sustainable livelihoods, and build climate resilience.
The donation from AirAsia is in addition to the airline’s ongoing post-earthquake support for government partners through humanitarian flights.
In coordination with government authorities, AirAsia transported search-and-rescue teams of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and critical rescue equipment to support emergency relief missions in Cebu.
