The airline was founded as Asian Spirit, the first airline in the Philippines to be run as a cooperative. On August 16, 2013, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the regulating body of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines for civil aviation, suspended Zest Air flights until further notice because of safety issues. Less than a year after AirAsia and Zest Air's strategic alliance, the airline was rebranded as AirAsia Zest. The airline was merged into AirAsia Philippines in January 2016.