The Asia-Pacific aviation market is one of the world’s fastest-growing and most dynamic. The region accounted for almost 35% of global revenue passenger kilometres in 2025, and international traffic volume and capacity continue to rise by double digits annually.
Low-cost carriers, with a 32% share of seat capacity, drive a significant portion of this activity and invite comparisons to the high-growth and LCC-led European market of the early 2010s. Yet by the end of 2025, the region had 228 fewer international airport pairs than it had in 2019, and the traditional approaches to network expansion, i.e., organic fleet growth and codeshare alliances, are no longer enough to support demand.
Aircraft availability is part of the challenge. Large order backlogs and long delivery timelines are limiting how quickly airlines can add capacity. That’s also making it harder to rely on new route launches alone to enter new markets. LCCs’ reliance on point-to-point networks with limited links to other airlines also constrains the value of traditional route-expanding partnerships.
A new whitepaper from Dohop, the travel technology company creating a new standard for connected travel beyond traditional interline agreements, examines how these conditions are shaping network growth across the Asia-Pacific region.
The Airline Connectivity Opportunity in APAC compares current conditions in APAC with those seen in Europe a decade ago, while also highlighting differences between the two markets, including border requirements, booking behaviour, and the added complexity of self-connecting journeys.
The whitepaper also explores how connecting existing airline networks could help carriers reach more markets. Connected travel allows separate airlines to offer multi-airline journeys without the lengthy commercial and operational requirements of traditional interline agreements. This gives airlines, especially low-cost carriers, more flexibility to test new origin-destination pairs and expand the destinations they can offer without operating every sector themselves.
For a region like APAC, a new approach to connectivity can generate significant positive outcomes, including more flexible pathways to growth and faster reaction to demand shifts.
Several airlines across Asia-Pacific are already using connected travel to broaden the networks they can offer passengers, showing how the model is beginning to take hold across the region.
For more insights, download your copy of The Airline Connectivity Opportunity in APAC.
