WHILE the aviation industry has mostly recovered from the pandemic across much of Asia, international seat capacity totals have fluctuated due to the timeline of certain restrictions easing.
Most levels are still below the pre-Covid capacity, but they have undoubtedly improved compared to last year, reports Montreal's Simply Flying.
Compared to 2019 india has recovered the most, with its international seat capacity in August exceeding the pre-pandemic levels by 4 per cent, according to aviation data and analytics provider OAG, making it is the only country that has improved with positive figures since 2019.
Although with a difference of minus eight per cent, Vietnam is not too far behind, with Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines following with minus 11 per cent per cent, minus 12 per cent, and minus 17 per cent, respectively.
India's recovery has been widespread across its international destinations. Six of the country's top markets in August 2023 have exceeded pre-pandemic levels, according to OAG. They are United Arab Emirates (UAE) with +8 per cent, Saudi Arabia with +33 per cent, Qatar with +6 per cent, United Kingdom with +53 per cent and Kuwait with +5 per cent.
The results showcase a trend of Middle East routes outperforming levels recorded in August 2019, but Southeast Asian routes, excluding Singapore, have reversed their performance. OAG reported that Thailand, ranked as the second largest in seat capacity from India pre-pandemic, fell to fifth place, equivalent to minus 29 per cent of capacity in August 2019. Malaysia, which was in fourth place previously, was pushed to eighth place, recording minus 36 per cent of its pre-pandemic capacity in August of this year.
However, the more robust recovery for routes to the Middle East is reportedly not unique to India as some of the highest performing routes from Indonesia are to Saudi Arabia, with +79 per cent, the UAE, with +10 per cent, and Qatar, with +2 per cent.
OAG Analyst Deirdre Fulton said the growth between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia can be attributed to the Umrah pilgrimages. 'We can assume that much of the growth in Indonesia-Saudi Arabia routes is being driven by its Muslim population embarking on Umrah pilgrimages. In May 2023 Saudi Arabia launched its e-visa application for Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage which sped up the process - and the Saudi Arabia Tourism Authority is supposedly planning to open its first office in Jakarta soon.'
Regarding China-transit hub routes, the Middle East is also dominating compared to China's Asian peers, according to OAG.
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Most levels are still below the pre-Covid capacity, but they have undoubtedly improved compared to last year, reports Montreal's Simply Flying.
Compared to 2019 india has recovered the most, with its international seat capacity in August exceeding the pre-pandemic levels by 4 per cent, according to aviation data and analytics provider OAG, making it is the only country that has improved with positive figures since 2019.
Although with a difference of minus eight per cent, Vietnam is not too far behind, with Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines following with minus 11 per cent per cent, minus 12 per cent, and minus 17 per cent, respectively.
India's recovery has been widespread across its international destinations. Six of the country's top markets in August 2023 have exceeded pre-pandemic levels, according to OAG. They are United Arab Emirates (UAE) with +8 per cent, Saudi Arabia with +33 per cent, Qatar with +6 per cent, United Kingdom with +53 per cent and Kuwait with +5 per cent.
The results showcase a trend of Middle East routes outperforming levels recorded in August 2019, but Southeast Asian routes, excluding Singapore, have reversed their performance. OAG reported that Thailand, ranked as the second largest in seat capacity from India pre-pandemic, fell to fifth place, equivalent to minus 29 per cent of capacity in August 2019. Malaysia, which was in fourth place previously, was pushed to eighth place, recording minus 36 per cent of its pre-pandemic capacity in August of this year.
However, the more robust recovery for routes to the Middle East is reportedly not unique to India as some of the highest performing routes from Indonesia are to Saudi Arabia, with +79 per cent, the UAE, with +10 per cent, and Qatar, with +2 per cent.
OAG Analyst Deirdre Fulton said the growth between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia can be attributed to the Umrah pilgrimages. 'We can assume that much of the growth in Indonesia-Saudi Arabia routes is being driven by its Muslim population embarking on Umrah pilgrimages. In May 2023 Saudi Arabia launched its e-visa application for Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage which sped up the process - and the Saudi Arabia Tourism Authority is supposedly planning to open its first office in Jakarta soon.'
Regarding China-transit hub routes, the Middle East is also dominating compared to China's Asian peers, according to OAG.
SeaNews Turkey
