AirAsia to give free flights for life to Yip Pin Xiu and other Asean Paralympic champions

AirAsia will also be extending its offer of free flights to champions in the Paralympics this year. The budget carrier's chief, Tony Fernandes, announced this in a Facebook post on Monday (Sept 12).

He wrote: "AirAsia is giving free flights for life to all ASEAN athletes who won gold medals in the recently-concluded Rio Olympics 2016 "for making us dream and believe."

While Asean athletes who win a gold medal will get free flights for life, he added that silver and bronze medallists will receive five and three years' worth of free flights.

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This means Singapore's Paralympian Yip Pin Xiu, 24, will receive free flights for life for her gold-medal effort in the 100m S2 backstroke. Theresa Goh Goh, 29, clinched a bronze in the 100m breaststroke SB4 on Sunday. They are Singapore's only two medallists so far at the Games.

During the Rio Olympics, Mr Fernandes announced that ASEAN gold medallists, which include Singapore's Joseph Schooling, would be entitled to free flights for life on AirAsia.

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The Paralympic Games, which started on Sept 7 after the Olympics, will end on Sept 18.

candicec@sph.com.sg