New carriers make Asia the centre of aviation

[SINGAPORE] Airbus Group and Boeing Co spent a week with Asian companies sounding more like cocktails than airlines, some of which didn't exist a year ago, highlighting the region's status as one of the most dynamic aircraft markets.

From VietJet to Thailand's Nok Airlines and Air Costa of India, short-haul start-ups dominated orders at the recent Singapore Air Show as Asia's increasing urbanisation and growing middle class fuel a surge in travel. New airlines are popping up all over Asia, including some exotically named Japanese carriers Vanilla Air and Peach Aviation.

The expo's US$32 billion of orders, while modest compared with a Gulf carrier-inspired US$206 billion splurge in Dubai three months earlier, highlighted the emergence of the latest class of airlines serving intra-Asian routes that are starting to criss-cross the continent.