Airports and the air connectivity they facilitate supported 23.3 million jobs and contributed $244 billion to the economies of ASEAN member states in 2025, according to a new study by Airports Council International Asia-Pacific & Middle East (ACI APAC & MID).

The report, titled Strengthening the ASEAN Single Aviation Market (ASAM) for Greater Connectivity within and beyond ASEAN, provides a comprehensive assessment of the economic contribution of airports across the region. It examines aviation’s role in supporting trade, tourism, investment and employment, while identifying infrastructure, policy and connectivity challenges that could constrain the development of the ASEAN Single Aviation Market.

Airport-related activity alone generated $55 billion in GDP and supported 1.6 million jobs across ASEAN in 2025. This figure includes direct airport operations, supply-chain activity and household spending linked to the sector.

The aviation ecosystem also generated an estimated $36 billion in government tax revenues, including $8 billion directly from airport activity and another $28 billion through its wider economic impact across the 11 ASEAN states.

The study highlights the substantial expansion of regional air connectivity since ASAM was introduced. Direct connectivity between ASEAN countries increased by 358% from 2004 to 2025, with the resulting expansion associated with approximately $50.6 billion in GDP and six million jobs.

Almost every ASEAN member state recorded at least a doubling of scheduled seat capacity over the same period. Much of the intra-ASEAN expansion occurred between 2010 and 2015, coinciding with the signing of several protocols linked to ASAM.

Low-cost carriers have also become increasingly important to regional connectivity. They accounted for 51% of intra-ASEAN seats in 2025, compared with 29% in 2008, helping make air travel more accessible across the region.

Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia recorded the largest employment impacts from airport-related activity, with approximately 368,000, 335,000 and 282,000 jobs respectively. Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand recorded the largest GDP impacts, at around $22 billion, $11 billion and $7.7 billion.

Tourism was another major beneficiary of expanded connectivity. An estimated 84.8 million international tourists arrived in ASEAN by air in 2025, generating approximately $127 billion in tourism spending, equivalent to about two-thirds of the region’s total international tourism expenditure.

ASEAN airports handled more than 700 million passengers and nearly nine million tonnes of cargo during the year.

The report also identifies significant additional economic gains that could result from full implementation of ASAM. Under an unconstrained scenario, the policy could generate nearly six million additional intra-ASEAN passengers, representing an 11.6% increase over 2025 traffic.

That growth could support an additional 15,000 aviation-sector jobs and generate $600 million in GDP, while tourism, trade, investment and other wider economic effects could add another 434,000 jobs and $3.7 billion in GDP. Combined, the potential benefit could approach 450,000 additional jobs and $4.3 billion in GDP.

Stefano Baronci, Director General of ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East, said ASAM had delivered significant progress but that further measures were needed to unlock its full potential. He called for greater market access and traffic rights, including expanded connectivity to secondary cities so that more local economies can benefit from increased aviation activity.

The study cautions that liberalisation alone will not be enough to achieve the projected gains. Airport and airspace capacity, infrastructure investment and supportive regulatory frameworks will also be necessary as passenger demand continues to rise.

Baronci said limited airport infrastructure development remains a key constraint on liberalisation in Southeast Asia, restricting airlines’ ability to take full advantage of opportunities created by ASAM.

ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East estimates that ASEAN airports will require around $108 billion in investment by 2036 to accommodate expected traffic growth. A further $233 billion could be needed between 2037 and 2056 as regional passenger traffic is projected to reach 2.9 billion.

That would put the estimated 30-year airport investment requirement at approximately $341 billion.

Baronci said meeting future demand would require airports to mobilise substantial capital to expand capacity, modernise infrastructure and remain competitive. He also urged ASEAN members to accelerate the implementation of existing air services agreements and address remaining capacity, regulatory and operational barriers to support sustainable aviation growth.

Source: TradeArabia

Discover Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, will expand its European network in summer 2027 with new nonstop routes connecting Germany to destinations in the UK and Ireland.

The carrier will begin operating flights between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Glasgow (GLA) six times a week from March 2027. Additional routes from Frankfurt will follow over the subsequent months, with weekly flights to Shannon (SNN) in the Republic of Ireland starting in April, twice-weekly services to Bristol (BRS) from May, and weekly flights to Inverness (INV) from June.

Discover Airlines will also introduce a twice-weekly route between Munich (MUC) and Glasgow from May 16, 2027. The service was previously operated by Lufthansa's mainline operation.

All five new services will be operated using Airbus A320 aircraft and are expected to operate primarily during the summer season.

The expansion will mark Discover Airlines' first-ever operations to destinations in the British Isles.

The German leisure carrier has traditionally focused on destinations offering warmer climates in southern Europe and tropical regions. Its move into the UK and Ireland reflects a growing focus on leisure travel opportunities in areas such as the Scottish Highlands and the countryside of southwest England, with German tourists expected to form a key target market.

Discover Airlines was renamed in 2023 after previously operating as Eurowings Discovery, a separate brand from Lufthansa Group's low-cost subsidiary Eurowings.

The airline is currently pursuing a broader expansion programme and plans to grow its fleet to 40 aircraft by 2028. The planned fleet will consist of an equal split between widebody aircraft and Airbus A320 family aircraft.

Source: QCAA

Thai Airways International is set to relaunch nonstop daily flights between Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport (AMS) on July 1, 2026, marking the carrier's return to the Dutch market after nearly 28 years.

The service will utilize modern Airbus A350-900 aircraft as part of Thai Airways' Northern Summer 2026 schedule, with bookings now open following an announcement in early 2026.

This revival restores a historic long-haul link between Southeast Asia and Europe, last operated by Thai Airways in 1998 before the airline withdrew from the Netherlands.

The move aligns with Thai Airways' strategy to expand its European network amid post-restructuring growth, boosting tourism, business travel, and cultural ties between Thailand and the Netherlands while enhancing competition on the route.

By adding this daily connection, Thai Airways aims to strengthen overall Thailand-Europe connectivity, complementing partnerships like codeshares with carriers such as TAP Air Portugal for broader reach.

The resumption reflects confidence in demand from the Benelux region and supports the airline's long-haul ambitions.

flydubai has announced the launch of a new double-daily service to Bangkok, further strengthening its footprint in Thailand and increasing its total operations to the country to 28 weekly flights.

The new route will commence on 15 September 2026, operating from Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Don Mueang International Airport (DMK). The addition of Bangkok marks the airline’s second destination in Thailand, complementing its existing service to Krabi.

With this expansion, flydubai continues to enhance its network in Southeast Asia, which also includes destinations such as Langkawi and Penang in Malaysia. The carrier’s growing regional presence reflects sustained passenger demand for travel between Dubai and key leisure and business markets across Asia.

Don Mueang International Airport, located north of central Bangkok, serves as one of the Thai capital’s two international gateways. Its strategic location provides convenient access for both corporate and leisure travellers visiting Bangkok and surrounding provinces.

Commenting on the launch, Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai, said:

“Thailand continues to be a highly popular destination for both leisure and business travel. The introduction of our double-daily Bangkok service reflects strong and consistent demand across our network. Operating from Terminal 3 at Dubai International and under our codeshare partnership with Emirates, passengers will benefit from seamless connections via Dubai to destinations across the GCC, Europe and other international markets.”

The new service further reinforces Dubai’s position as a leading global aviation hub. flydubai’s network now extends to more than 135 destinations, offering customers expanded travel options and convenient one-stop connectivity.

Sudhir Sreedharan, Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations at flydubai, added:

“We are pleased to expand our presence in Thailand with the launch of double-daily flights to Bangkok. We look forward to welcoming passengers on board and providing a comfortable and reliable travel experience in both Economy and Business Class.”

As part of its continued investment in customer experience, flydubai offers thoughtfully designed cabins across both classes. Passengers can enjoy comfortable seating, internationally inspired dining options and a wide selection of inflight entertainment available through the airline’s onboard system.

Flight Schedule (All Times Local)

From 15 September 2026, flydubai will operate the following services between Dubai and Bangkok:

• FZ1335: DXB 11:00 – DMK 20:45

• FZ1336: DMK 23:50 – DXB 03:20

• FZ1345: DXB 01:20 – DMK 11:10

• FZ1346: DMK 12:10 – DXB 15:40

Fares

• Return Business Class fares from DXB to DMK start from AED 9,000, while Economy Class Lite fares start from AED 2,500.

• From DMK to DXB, return Business Class fares start from THB 64,000, and Economy Class Lite fares from THB 22,000.

Flights are available for booking via flydubai.com, the official flydubai mobile application, the UAE Contact Centre, flydubai travel shops and authorised travel partners.

Xiamen Airlines will resume its direct flights between Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport in Fujian and Mactan–Cebu International Airport in the Philippines starting 29 March 2026. The twice-weekly service will operate every Tuesday and Saturday using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, featuring eight business-class and 162 economy seats. The flight takes just under three hours.

The move, announced on 14 February, follows recent bilateral talks that granted new traffic rights and improved ground-handling support ahead of the summer season. The reinstated route reconnects Quanzhou—a major manufacturing hub for shoes, garments, and stone products—with Cebu, the commercial heart of the Visayas region. It’s expected to make business travel and supply-chain visits much easier for companies that previously relied on indirect routes via Xiamen or Manila.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed the restart, calling it a “new chapter” in people-to-people exchange. The Chinese Embassy in Manila also confirmed that Xiamen Airlines plans to increase flights on its Xiamen–Manila route to meet stronger demand. The announcement comes after the Philippines introduced a one-year visa-free entry scheme allowing Chinese citizens to stay up to 14 days for tourism or business.

For corporate travelers, the renewed direct link offers a more convenient route between Fujian’s export clusters and Cebu’s logistics, repair, and electronics sectors. It also supports greater accessibility to Mindanao, where several Chinese companies are currently involved in infrastructure projects. Filipino travelers should note that China has yet to introduce a reciprocal visa-free policy, so visas remain required except for short transits of up to 24 hours.

The service will also provide around five tonnes of cargo space per flight, which is expected to benefit e-commerce and high-value shipments like electronics and fashion samples. Freight forwarders are advised to secure space early, as the route typically maintains load factors above 80% during peak export periods.