DEVELOPMENT STATUS AND PROSPECTS FOR AVIATION HUBS — A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE MAJOR AIRPORTS IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA

This paper benchmarks the key performance measures of the hub airports in Southeast Asia. Our investigation suggests that (1) Hong Kong has been a leader in terms of network connectivity, traffic growth, hub airline developments, and cargo logistics. (2) Bangkok airport's growth has been constrained by political instability and weak hub airline development; in the long-run, the airport, however, has great potential. (3) The development of low-cost carriers have become a major driver for traffic growth, but the implications to airport connectivity have been unclear. (4) Despite limited progress on regional liberalization, intra-Asian routes have clearly contributed to traffic growth and hub airport connectivity. (5) Governments should safeguard airline competition by promoting market liberalization and airport capacity investments.