ASEAN hubs should refocus on new regional connections: whitepaper

A new whitepaper about air travel in Southeast Asia contends that the region’s Covid-hit hubs should look to boost regional connectivity. The whitepaper observes that Southeast Asia’s connections with long-haul routes have been restored faster than regional routes. This, however, should start to change in 2022. Sponsored by the Aviation Studies Institute at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, the whitepaper was penned by independent aviation consultant Brendan Sobie. It focuses on the five biggest hubs within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) before 2019: Singapore Changi, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Kuala Lumpur International, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta, and Manila Ninoy Aquino. These five airports accounted of about 40% of passenger traffic before the pandemic. While 50% of long-haul routes to ASEAN hubs have been restored, just 25% of international routes within the region and just 20% of international routes between ASEAN and the rest of Asia-Pacific have come back. “As more markets in Asia-Pacific reopen the regional international segment – excluding China – is expected to start recovering faster than the long-haul segment,” writes Sobie.“The recovery within ASEAN should be particularly fast once borders reopen and travel restrictions are lifted. There are close cultural and economic ties between ASEAN countries and there is huge pent-up demand for travel within ASEAN.” There is, however, little hope of an imminent return of the strong China traffic that the region enjoyed in the pre-pandemic era. One way to help offset this is through improved regional connectivity.<br/>