AirAsia CEO slammed for going shirtless, getting massage during work call

Key details: Fernandes, 59, uploaded the picture to his LinkedIn account on Monday, which has since been taken down as of this writing.

The context: The now-deleted post contained a picture of a shirtless Fernandes as he was getting a massage from a female masseuse during what he called a “management meeting.” In the post caption, Fernandes wrote that it had been “a stressful week.”

“Got to love Indonesia and AirAsia culture that I can have a massage and do a management meeting,” he added.

How people reacted: Several social media users criticized Fernandes for the picture, with one X user calling his actions “unprofessional.” Another user noted how “AirAsia has stooped to this low,” referencing the LinkedIn post.

Meanwhile, some users chose to poke fun at the situation, with one X user writing in their post, “You’ve heard of bosses massaging the figures, this is an example of a figure massaging the boss.”

Explaining his side: Speaking to Malaysiakini, Fernandes apologized “if anyone took offense” to what he did. He explained that the work call was a mini-management meeting, and nobody raised any objections about him getting a massage during the call.

Fernandes said people need to understand the “work culture of our airline,” noting that he wanted to show people through his post that they “can multitask” but that his effort was “taken out of context.”