In 1976 Tony Fernandes, aged 12, found himself being put on a plane to London from Kuala Lumpur by his father, who wanted his son to become a doctor and had enrolled him at a fancy boarding school associated with the medical profession. Mr Fernandes did not become a doctor. Instead, his father's decision to send him to school in London ended up shaping his career in a rather different and unexpected way. When his pleas to be allowed home at half-term were rejected because of the cost of the flight, the young Mr Fernandes opted for what seemed like the next best thing: hanging out at Heathrow airport at weekends, planespotting. Unlike most boys of his age, Tony was not very interested in becoming a pilot. Inspired by Freddie Laker's heroic efforts to launch his SkyTrain service to America, Mr Fernandes decided that what he really wanted was his own low-cost airline.
展开▼
