Asian aviation faces manpower, infrastructure crunch

THE two greatest challenges that Asian aviation faces are a looming infrastructure crunch and manpower shortage.

Adding to these is the inherent resistance of governments to free up the aviation market, says a seasoned industry insider.

"There are 170 cities in Asia with a population of over one million people, but there are no airports connecting them to the rest of the region," said Raman Narayanan, head of Asean affairs and government relations at AirAsia.