Asia-Pacific Airlines Grow Fastest While Route Networks Shrink

Asia-Pacific led the world in international traffic growth and load factors in 2025, with IATA forecasting 3.8% long-term annual growth versus 2.5% for Europe and 2.8% for North America. Yet according to DOHOP's whitepaper, it is the only region where the international network contracted, losing 1,017 international routes and a net 228 airport pairs since December 2019, with mainland China alone shedding 293 international connections. The cause is not weak demand but a jammed aircraft pipeline: order backlogs stand at 17,000 planes, nearly 60% of the active global fleet, with a new order taking about 6.8 years to arrive. Scoot, Citilink, Thai Vietjet and Cebu Pacific are turning to 'connect…