HONG KONG, 10 October 2025: Airports Council International Asia-Pacific & Middle East (ACI APAC & MID), the trade association representing airports, has released the 2025 edition of the Airfare Trends for the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions, highlighting the rising cost of air travel.
The analysis, developed with the assistance of Flare Aviation Consulting, offers a data-driven perspective, highlighting markets that have experienced significant increases in airfares and examining the factors behind this surge in two of the world’s most dynamic aviation regions.
Despite a substantial recovery of passenger traffic across the region, an increasing trend is observed from H1 2019 to 2025, in contrast to the decreasing pattern seen during the pre-pandemic years. The surge is driven mainly by inflation (as measured by the CPI) and reduced airline competition in specific key sectors.
The Asia-Pacific region has witnessed an average increase of +8% from H1 2019 to 2025, compared to an average decrease of 18% observed during H1 2014 to 2019. However, the increase reported over the first half of the current year has been much more acute at the country level, especially in the Oceania and ASEAN regions. The Middle East has seen a 15% surge in H1 2019 to 2025, compared to an average 9% decrease observed during H1 2014 to 2019.
The report once again demonstrates the marginal role of airport charges in influencing changes in airfares. Airport charges and turnaround costs (including government taxes) have generally increased below CPI levels. Interestingly, in markets where airport charges have moderately decreased, airfares have continued their upward momentum.
Key findings
- Airfares have surged across all markets, except China.
- Southeast Asia and Oceania experienced the highest increases, with airfares rising 20% and 30% above pre-pandemic levels, respectively.
- Oceania is the most expensive region for air travel.
- India and China are currently below the regional average in terms of airfare levels.
- International fares increased by 17% above pre-pandemic levels, especially in Southeast Asia and Developed East Asia.
- Domestic fares surged more than 30% above 2019 levels, especially for short-haul LCC routes, where reduced competition allows for higher pricing.
- Economic travellers bear the most significant share of these increases.
- Routes with low airline competition saw airfares increase up to 13 percentage points above the regional average.
- The US-China market remained stable in 2025, with no significant impact on airfare.
- Airfare variations are primarily influenced by inflation (CPI) and airline competition, factors that are outside the airport’s control.
- Airfares increased by 9% to 28% across the markets in the regions, even in markets where airport charges had decreased.
ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East Director General Stefano Baronci said: “The objective of this analysis is to assess the market dynamics and its impact on aviation, as well as provide transparency into the rising cost of air travel. This study also demonstrates that lowering airport charges does not necessarily result in a reduction in ticket prices; instead, it limits airports’ ability to invest in capacity and technology to enhance service quality. To make air travel more affordable from a consumer perspective, policymakers should focus on liberalising markets such as open skies, market access and efficient slot policy that can strengthen airline competition. At the same time, ensuring airports can continue to invest to build capacity to support the growth in the coming years.”
(Source: ACI)
