Recovery of Chinese air travel bodes well for Asean airport operators: analysts

DATA for airports in China and South-east Asia shows demand rebounding rapidly. Investors looking to ride the recovery have not yet missed the flight, as analysts see traffic at some of the region’s airport operators taking off this year and next. The key demand driver remains the still-elusive Chinese international tourist.

China’s residents had been landbound for months, as the country’s government tried to contain the spread of Covid-19. They are now taking to the skies, although the recovery for international travel has been slower than initially anticipated.

Among Asian destinations popular with Chinese tourists, the initial beneficiaries of demand will likely be Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Cambodia, said Mabel Kwan, managing director of Alton Aviation Consultancy.