Ep 179: The Shifting Outlook for Airports in South East Asia, with Shantanu Gangakhedkar, Frost & Sullivan

Listen to this episode

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google

Podbean

View All Episodes

About This Episode

20 Jun 2023 • 32m42s

“Airports are making changes in their operation plans and strategies to adapt and inculcate the learnings of the last two years.”

The airport sector continues to undergo a transformation as traffic flows recover, intelligent technology adoption accelerates and consumer expectations shift. This week, Gary and Hannah welcome KL-based Shantanu Gangakhedkar, Senior Consultant for Aerospace & Defence with Frost & Sullivan.

Shantanu has authored a new White Paper entitled “Future of Airports and Growth Opportunities: Sustainability & Digitization”. In a broad-ranging chat, we discuss the air travel recovery in South East Asia and Asia Pacific in the first half of 2023, and the outlook for the rest of the year. We go behind the scenes at the region’s airports to discuss the developing trends in F&B (including in-airport food deliveries), duty free retail, biometric applications and baggage handling technology.

Shantanu also covers the steps airport operators are taking to achieve net-zero targets. Plus, we assess the outlook for smaller and regional airports in this unfolding new era in travel.

« Next Episode Ep 180: SuperApps Scale Up to Sell More South East Asian Travel, with Brett Henry, MG Group Previous Episode » Ep 178: The Key Factors Driving Tourism & Hospitality Expansion in Indonesia, with Ross Woods

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play

10 Apr 2026 • 14m33s

Ep 297: How Have 6 Weeks of War Changed ASEAN's Travel Economies?: Start the Weekend with The South East Asia Travel Show

“Could South East Asia’s travel landscape look different in 12-18 months time?” The episode explores how Middle East conflict affects the region’s travel sector. Key topics include: The region’s dependence on imported oil, LNG, jet fuel, petrochemicals, and fertilizers Rising fuel costs and electricity supply challenges Government energy-conservation measures and work-from-home policies Food price inflation impacts Jet fuel scarcity effects on travel and tourism operations Hosts Gary and Hannah examine broader war-related economic consequences across Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific, comparing these disruptions to the COVID-19 pandemic’s travel impacts and discussing potential long-term shifts in the industry.

Play

6 Apr 2026 • 17m51s

Ep 296: LCC Strategy Shifts, Türkiye & Taiwan in the Spotlight & Vietnam Targets 50 Million Visitors: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

The episode examines how fuel costs have escalated dramatically for airlines, now consuming “50-55% of its operating costs. That previously was 30-35%.” As Middle East tensions escalate, Southeast Asian low-cost carriers face intensifying financial pressures. Hosts Gary and Hannah explore developments across Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Türkiye, Bahrain, and Taiwan, discussing Batik Air’s 35% flight reduction and network cutbacks by competing carriers. They also examine Tony Fernandes’ hints regarding a potential partnership with a major Turkish airline and SunPhuQuoc Airways’ decision to launch international operations from Taipei.

Ep 179: The Shifting Outlook for Airports in South East Asia, with Shantanu Gangakhedkar, Frost & Sullivan

About This Episode

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Ep 297: How Have 6 Weeks of War Changed ASEAN's Travel Economies?: Start the Weekend with The South East Asia Travel Show

Ep 296: LCC Strategy Shifts, Türkiye & Taiwan in the Spotlight & Vietnam Targets 50 Million Visitors: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

Hannah Pearson

Gary Bowerman