Manfredi Lefebvre Redefined Luxury Travel in Europe. Here’s His Vision for AirAsia’s Superapp — Exclusive

When Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio was named chairman of AirAsia Move, the online travel platform of Capital A, on January 14, industry watchers took note. Lefebvre brings with him decades of experience leading luxury travel giants like Abercrombie & Kent and Crystal Cruises.

It signals ambitions to improve user experience, expand markets, and possibly venture into cruises. “I'm in both the learning phase of what the potential of an AirAsia Move is, and in the contributing phase,” Lefebvre told Skift in an exclusive interview.

Best known as the former chairman and owner of Silversea Cruises, Lefebvre sold two-thirds of the company to Royal Caribbean Cruises in 2018 for $1 billion. He now sees potential in integrating cruises into AirAsia Move’s offerings. “Cruising is a very fast-growing product,” he said. 

This also aligns with AirAsia Move’s vision to grow beyond its Southeast Asian roots.

Bridging Luxury and Accessibility

Skift featured Lefebvre on our inaugural Power Rankings list last year. With a nearly 40-year career starting at Sitmar Cruises in 1986 and evolving though the creation and eventual sale of Silversea Cruises, Lefebvre has redefined luxury travel. As executive chairman of Abercrombie & Kent, his focus had been on curated luxury travel experiences for high-end travelers worldwide.

How does that experience fit with AirAsia Move, a superapp focused on affordability and accessibility? “Luxury doesn’t always have to mean exclusivity,” Lefebvre explained. For a superapp designed for mass adoption, luxury must focus on comfort, seamless experiences, and eliminating travel hiccups.

This is the underlying philosophy of his vision for the platform: a one-stop platform offering flights, hotels, transport, duty-free shopping, and curated experiences. And at the core of it would be quality and innovation.

AirAsia Move Beyond Asia?

Lefebvre’s experience has been with Western consumers, primarily in Europe, and his new role marks his entry into Asia’s dynamic travel market. 

“I have always dedicated time to try to learn how we can move outside of this small world that we have: the Western world, even though it is a high-consuming world with a lot of expenditure and opportunities.”

AirAsia Move, he believes, provides a chance to apply his expertise and contribute to something that, in his words, “is not mine, but which I find interesting.”

While acknowledging he has more to learn about local travel behaviors, Lefebvre said that his global experience would help him identify similarities between Asian and Western travelers. “Asian travelers are evolving rapidly,” he noted, adding that as wealth grows, their aspirations — much like those in other parts of the world — will shift from ownership to experiences. 

The superapp would look to anticipate these aspirations and provide tailored solutions for both local and international travelers.

And while the platform currently focuses on travel within Southeast Asia, Lefebvre’s vision is of a future where it caters to global travelers. “Today, it is offered to travelers of Southeast Asia. Maybe tomorrow we can expand our knowledge, experience, and capabilities abroad,” he said.

Technology and Personalization 

Technology is not just a tool; it’s the backbone of what Move does, and Lefebvre understands that. 

“I’m trying to understand how technology can serve consumers and how we can find partners for AirAsia Move to help its consumers benefit better,” he shared.

Working with AirAsia Move CEO Nadia Omer, Lefebvre aims to improve the app’s capabilities. From logistics to user interfaces, the focus is on making travel planning intuitive and enjoyable, he said.

Imagine booking a flight, arranging transport, selecting duty-free goods, and reserving a restaurant — all from one app. That’s the kind of convenience the app would aim to deliver.

This level of convenience and personalization, he believes, will also set AirAsia Move apart in the competitive superapp market. To offer “more”— not just in terms of services, but also in the depth and personalization of each interaction.

“To be ahead of the curve, we are focusing on offering as much as we can through our app,” he said. “It’s the quantity and diversity of services that you (users) can access.”

Speaking earlier with Skift, CEO Omer had said, “We are looking to position ourselves as a competitive online travel agency (OTA), which provides customers as well as airline partners with more value in what they're getting from regular OTAs.”

Tackling Overtourism

The pandemic reshaped global travel, but Southeast Asia is experiencing a robust recovery, driven by both local exploration and inbound tourism. Lefebvre believes that spreading tourist activity across seasons and less-visited destinations is key to sustainable growth.

Expanding travel to new destinations and adjusting seasonality, he argues, not only supports local economies but also mitigates the strain on popular hotspots. “The more we expand the number of travelers and spread them across seasons and destinations, the more we create wealth,” he said.