Page 38 - AAA JULY-AUGUST 2012 Online Magazine

PROFILE

THAT’S ME!

Fareh Ishraf Mazputra sits in a hot
seat very close to a double-edged
sword. But is he worried? Not at
all, he says he is one of the luckiest
people in what he describes as the
most interesting place in the world.
How did you get into aviation?
I started in the aviation industry back in 1991. The growth in How do you think the Asian industry will develop?
years before that convinced me, but getting the first job was not Asia is where the growth is. With a total population of four billion
easy. I landed a job as a First Officer with a Malaysian commuter people it is the biggest continent with poor road connectivity and
airline here flying the Dornier 228. mostly surrounded by water. Flying seems to be the primary or
only choice of transportation and we see great potential and
What is the best thing about Asia? growth in the region and connectivity with the rest of the world.
Asia is very diversified with its cultures, languages, race and
ethnic origins, which has made it a far more interesting place What’s the single biggest advance you’ve seen in the industry?
to be. It’s probably the fastest growing region in the world today I will mention this for the industry in Asia specifically: the
and that’s only the beginning. In the aviation world, it will be the existence of AirAsia. We were able to provide a service that
the region with the biggest growth within the next decade. never existed, make it affordable and doable, connect people and
places that others didn’t want to do, with connecting flights that
What’s the best thing about your job? were never thought of.
Some say that this is the “hot seat”. The industry has dynamic
growth and that can act as a double-edged sword. It’s an extremely China? India? Indonesia? Australia? - Where’s the growth?
competitive environment to be in and helping manage the Flight Well, all really. China goes without saying, there is still much
Operations’ part of the largest low-cost airline in Asia can be very to do there and more to offer. India probably needs some sort
demanding. Ensuring safety, profitability and keeping costs at of support (generally policies) to see some growth. But ASEAN
minimum is definitely a challenge every second of the day. Our (Association of South East Asian Nations) is where we believe
pilots are trained to one of the highest possible standards. the core potential is besides East Asia and Asia-Pacific.

What’s your best/scariest moment in an aircraft? How do you see airspace regulation developing across the region?
There are many great moments. One of them would be flying Airspace regulations and regulatory bodies need to step up and
across mesmerising views like the Himalayas or across the help play a supporting role to promote the growth of the industry
Maldives atolls. Having an opportunity to fly with my son who is in Asia. There is a real need to accelerate this “change” to
also a pilot is priceless for me as a father. I have had an engine capitalise on growth. This change will also support better safety
problem and instrument malfunction to deal with, but I consider in general.
myself very lucky. Life has been great and I am thankful for that.
What would you say to Bleriot if you met him?
Monsieur Bleriot? Wow!! It’s the belief system in a person that
makes it happen. It is something that everyone takes lessons
from. He is great believer of what was never there apart from
in theory.

Fareh Ishraf Mazputra is Director of Flight Operations,
AirAsia Malaysia. Born in Johor, Malaysia in 1968, he
trained as a pilot and first piloted a Dornier 228 before
moving on to the Fokker 50 and then the Boeing 737.
Currently he is accountable manager of AirAsia’s Flight
Operations for Safety, Legality, Procedures and Policies.
His job involves ensuring efficiency, OTP and pilot supply,
training programmes, quality and risk levels.

38 ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS JULY / AUGUST 2012 WWW.ASIANAIRLINES-AIRPORTS.COM