Malaysian low-cost airline AirAsia, which has been hit hard by the COVID-induced travel crisis, said its digital arm airasia Super App plans to collaborate with Indonesian ridesharing and logistics companies in 2022. This decision is part of its expansion strategy in Southeast Asia.

“For Indonesia, we have a strong launch pipeline… we are currently in talks with a few key market players about the collaboration. We will potentially study carpooling, and we are studying the express [delivery] that is to say home parcel deliveries ” Airasia Super App CEO Amanda Woo said at a press conference on Thursday.

Given the data gained over years of traveling with Indonesians on AirAsia, turning to another line of business “is only fair,” Woo added, without share more details about the collaboration.

The AirAsia group had acquired Indonesian ridesharing and payment company, Thai company from Gojek as part of a share swap in July this year. Gojek took a 4.76% stake in AirAsia’s superapplication business as part of the deal that valued AirAsia at around $ 1 billion.

In August, the group launched its AirAsia Ride carpooling service in Malaysia’s Klang Valley and said it was “also actively exploring the concepts of drones and air taxis.”

That same month, Teleport, the logistics arm of AirAsia, acquired the Malaysian food delivery app Delivereat for $ 9.8 million. Besides Malaysia, AirAsia operates food delivery services in Singapore and Thailand.

AirAsia has shown a preference for collaboration, instead of directly competing with players well established in the archipelago. “It is important for us to work with the right partners to acquire the know-how. After conversations with these partners, what they see in us is the brand, ”said Woo, noting that the company is open to collaboration in markets such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand or the Philippines. “It’s definitely a win-win solution. “

Airasia Super App – formerly airasia.com – appointed Amanda Woo as CEO in May, replacing Karen Chan who would assume a position on the board of directors of the super apps sector. Woo has been with AirAsia since 2012.

The company also revealed Thursday that its super app has partnered with more than 700 international airlines serving more than 3,000 destinations. Among its most recent airline partners are Air Canada, Air France, KLM and Qatar Airways, among others.

The super app can be used to book airline tickets, hotel reservations, financial services, package delivery, and food, grocery, grocery and beauty purchases.

In July, the group’s CEO, Tony Fernandes, said AirAsia was considering listing its digital arm via a PSPC merger in the United States to raise at least $ 300 million.

Meanwhile, BigPay, the super app’s financial technology unit, received a $ 100 million investment pledge from South Korean group SK in August. The unit offers a prepaid debit card, local and international money transfers, microinsurance, bill payments and a budgeting tool.