Ep 288: ASEAN's Air Travel Outlook: Where are the Hotspots & Slow-Motion Markets?: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

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2 Mar 2026 • 28m31s

“Vietnam’s international air market is the biggest story in South East Asia.” ASEAN’s breakout travel and tourism star leads the bullish projections about air travel, but structural issues in South East Asia’s biggest market, Indonesia, drag down the overall 2026 outlook. Longer-term, sustained growth is predicted, but where are the hotspots to watch, and which are the slow-motion markets? This week, Gary is joined by Singapore-based aviation consultant Brendan Sobie to dissect the travel outlook from the skies above ASEAN. En route, we discuss domestic and regional market growth factors, yields and profitability for long-haul carriers, and the divergence between peak and off-peak demand, fares and load factors. While aircraft manufacturers classify South East Asia as the world’s fastest growing air market, we check the pulse of key markets, like Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand - and assess the evolving influences of Asia’s two mega-markets, China and India

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