While air travel grew 5% from 2011 to 2012, traffic remains focused on a few very busy routes, suggesting new secondary destinations could expand overall demand.
New analysis from Amadeus Air Traffic Travel Intelligence solution reveals that Asia is the largest, fastest-growing and most competitive market for air travel.
The solution – which provides comprehensive passenger volume data – including both direct and indirect sales of airline seats – shows that Asia experienced year-on-year growth of 9% between 2011 and 2012, followed by Latin America, at 6%.
Among other key findings, the study reveals that 22% of all global air travel is concentrated on just 300 origin and destination ‘super routes’, each carrying more than one million passengers annually.
In terms of connecting air traffic, the analysis shows the Middle East as a strong performer, with the three key airports of Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai all showing high connecting traffic volumes.
The three airports now serve about 15% of all air traffic volume that goes from Asia to Europe and from Europe to the South West Pacific. Furthermore, Europe-Asia traffic routed via the Middle East is growing at about 20% per annum.
The analysis also shows Asia as the market with the highest airline competition: 75% of the region’s air traffic is on routes covered by three or more airlines and 27% by five or more airlines.
This contrasts sharply with other regions such as the Middle East and Europe, where just half of all air traffic is on routes operated by three or more airlines.
Analysis of the busiest routes in the world by passenger volume shows that seven of the top ten world’s busiest air travel routes are in Asia.
Jeju-Seoul in South Korea remains the world’s busiest air route.
