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Hong Kong, China (CNN) -- As governments race to liberalize their airspace amid the explosive growth in Asian budget carriers, one man and his airline are ahead of the curve.
Entrepreneur and businessman Tony Fernandes and Malaysia's AirAsia are already shaking up the region's airline industry with a simple concept -- everyone should be able to fly.
The fledgling carrier is a huge success story, in a region that had only one low-cost airline five years ago. Now there are 13 budget airlines in existence or about to launch, including Virgin Blue, Valuair, Tiger Airways and One-Two-Go.
AirAsia expects to carry nearly eight million passengers next year, almost double the estimate for this year. Fernandes puts his success down to a hands-on approach.
"It was strange when I first came to the airline. The pilots freaked out because they suddenly saw their CEO pushing the ladder (to the plane)," Fernandes told CNN.
"The pilots cannot get over the fact that I have a cup of coffee with the guys who carry the bags. My secretary will (even) go out and help clean the planes if we are running into a delay."
Three years ago Fernandes had no involvement with airlines whatsoever. As a Warner Music executive in New York, he hobnobbed with celebrities from across the world.
But after a decade in the music industry, he decided to pursue his childhood dream -- running an airline.
"On the way back to London, I saw easyJet on the television. I thought this looked interesting," says Fernandes.
"So I went up to Luton airport and spent two days there watching easyJet in action. I talked to staff and passengers -- and thought, right, this is something I want to do."
Without any prior experience, Fernandes and some close associates purchased Malaysia-based AirAsia in 2001.
The airline had been struggling for a number of years. It was operating to only two domestic destinations and was heavily in debt.
Three years ago, Air Asia was relaunched as a budget airline and now flies to Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Macau.
Last year it made a profit of $5.3 million and expects to do substantially better this year.
The company is also planning a $200 million initial public offering in September or October this year. Fernandes believes the open culture at the airline has driven growth.
"There is tremendous camaraderie here -- with no hierarchy and a family environment. We cannot ever change that. As soon as we change it we will lose our focus," he says.
"We have marketing and finance people, engineers, cabin crew and pilots all in one office. It means effective communication. You open the office door and you see our planes. If people need help, we all go out there and carry bags (on to the plane)."
He also believes that Asia's budget carriers are opening up the travel market to a new generation of consumers.
Hong Kong, the second busiest airport in Asia, now faces fresh competition from nearby Macau. AirAsia started flying to the former Portuguese territory on July 5, saying that Hong Kong's airport fees were too expensive.
-- CNN's Lorraine Hahn and Ja Wuttithamrong contributed to this report
