“Smaller airports are the next coming thing,” said Bjorn Kjos, CE of Norwegian, which is talking to Stewart International Airport in Orange County, NY, about starting European-bound flights. In 2016, a record 18,000 city pairs were connected by air, according to IATA. “We’ve seen the addition of 700 new routes this year,” said Brian Pearce, chief economist and director with the association. The growth has been particularly noticeable in the US, Pearce said, but was also significant in Europe and Asia. John Grant, a senior analyst with OAG, an aviation data provider, said the new interest in smaller airports has several roots, among them a boom in the number of air travellers, new LCCs offering long-haul flights and congestion at the biggest airports. <br/>
general
Although airlines operating in Southern provinces have kept fares below the stipulated price ceiling, many people have accused them of overcharging, according to the head of the aviation authority. The development came as industry leaders said they did not believe the flooding in the South would affect long-term tourism in the region. Chula Sukmanop, director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), said airlines operating in the South had kept fares below the stipulated price ceiling, so there was no need for CAAT to intervene regarding pricing. “We have monitored airfares and found that no airline was setting prices higher than the ceiling level, which meant there is nothing wrong with airfares." <br/>