On December 28, 2014, contact with Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ8501,
carrying 162 people, was lost after it left Surabaya, Indonesia bound
for Singapore. All passengers were believed dead. Until this horrific
incident, AirAsia and its various affiliated airlines, which included
AirAsia X and Indonesia AirAsia, along with several other airlines
organized in joint ventures throughout Southeast Asia, had recorded
rising profits, rapid expansion and, until this incident, a solid safety
record. The company was buoyed by a savvy marketing strategy and the
leadership of its flamboyant founder. He was concerned now about how
this tragedy would affect AirAsia's business in the short and long term.
Should he delay or even stop some of his aggressive growth initiatives?