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…
Impact and considerations
For business travellers, fewer direct routes in Asia-Pacific but more multi-carrier itineraries mean additional connections and partner-flight combinations, requiring corporate travel policies to reassess connections, baggage and disruption protection.
Key points
- Asia-Pacific posted the fastest international traffic growth and highest load factors in 2025, with IATA forecasting 3.8% long-term annual growth versus 2.5% for Europe and 2.8% for North America.
- DOHOP's whitepaper shows Asia-Pacific is the only region where the international network contracted, losing a net 1,017 international routes and 228 airport pairs since December 2019, with mainland China shedding 293 international connections.
- Aircraft 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 connected travel, expanding networks through bookable multi-carrier itineraries.
- Scoot's platform reportedly added over 80 destinations without ordering new aircraft, while Citilink added 47 destinations through partnerships with Scoot and Air India Express.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- Web in Travel
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 23 Sept 2026, 10:13
- Page published
- 23 Sept 2026, 12:02
- Last updated
- 23 Sept 2026, 10:13
- Original links
- Web in Travel：Asia Pacific's airlines are growing fastest in the world, while their route maps shrink - WiT (opens in a new tab)Primary source · en · Published 23 Sept 2026, 10:13