Air Connectivity Ranking: Asia-Pacific Reports 13% Growth; Middle East Leads With 28%
28 May 2025, Shanghai, China: Airports Council International Asia-Pacific & Middle East (ACI APAC & MID) today announced its highly anticipated Air Connectivity Ranking 2024, revealing a remarkable 14% year-on-year increase in both Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions, driven by strong international demand, robust network recovery, and the return of major travel corridors.
The ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East Air Connectivity Ranking is a comprehensive, passenger-centric analytical tool developed in collaboration with PwC in 2023 and refined for its third edition in 2025. The Ranking evaluates the overall level of air passenger connectivity offered by airports across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions. It assesses performance through three fundamental building blocks: network scale and frequency, economic weight of destinations, and connection quality and efficiency.
The Asia-Pacific region witnessed a remarkable 13% jump in overall connectivity compared to 2023, while the Middle East posted an impressive 28% increase, surpassing all post-COVID recovery forecasts. On average, connectivity across all airports rose in both Asia-Pacific and the Middle East by +14%, a strong testament to the resilience and dynamism of the aviation sector.
In Asia-Pacific, intra-regional connections are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, trailing by just 0.2%. At the same time, intercontinental connectivity is on the rise, showing a solid 4% increase.
The Middle East, however, isn't just recovering – it's setting a new pace. Both intra-regional and inter-continent connectivity have not only bounced back but have exceeded pre-pandemic levels by a significant margin of 18% and 16%, respectively.
Key findings
Airports in the region saw an average connectivity increase of +14% compared to 2023, indicating a strong industry recovery.
Airports in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East experienced across-the-board connectivity growth in 2024, driven by China's reopening and route expansions.
80% of the top 300 airports have fully recovered connectivity levels, with larger hubs leading due to the resurgence of international travel.
Domestic city pairs decreased by an average of -1% compared to 2023, suggesting a post-COVID emphasis on international expansion.
International city pairs across all airport categories rose by an average of 17%, highlighting the strong return to cross-border travel.
While intra-APAC passenger travel in 2024 is nearing 2019 levels, travel to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa has surpassed them, driven by Gulf hubs. Passenger traffic from Asia-Pacific to the Americas still trails 2019 levels.
Passenger traffic in the Middle East recovered faster than APAC, showing robust 2024 vs. 2019 traffic, with passenger traffic to Africa and APAC significantly exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Traffic to the Americas remains below 2019.
Despite increased competition, Dubai maintained its position as the leading airport in APAC and the Middle East.
Major Asian hubs like Incheon, Singapore Changi, Shanghai Pudong, and Beijing Capital saw improved rankings and indices, reflecting strong outbound tourism and network adjustments.
Commenting on the report, Stefano Baronci, Director General of ACI Asia-Pacific and Middle East, said: 'Air connectivity is not only relevant for passengers seeking more travel options and convenience; it is equally crucial for supporting global trade and economic resilience, particularly through belly hold cargo capacity.'
'While we celebrate this growth, we must remain forward-looking to ensure the momentum is sustained. Investment in airport infrastructure and technological upgrades is a prerequisite for enhancing connectivity, and airports across the region are undertaking significant investments to make this possible. In the face of growing geopolitical and trade tensions, we urge governments to prioritise air service liberalisation, streamlined visa policies, and transparent slot allocation frameworks. Lastly, we must not lose sight of the needs of small island and remote communities-- air connectivity remains their lifeline,' Mr. Baronci added.
Rise of Airport City Clusters
The 2025 edition introduces a fresh dimension: an analysis of airport city clusters. Larger urban agglomerations like Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Macau, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Beijing dominate the new City Connectivity Index, demonstrating that the presence of multiple large airports enables higher flight frequencies and diversified routing options.
Clusters such as Beijing and Shenzhen–Hong Kong-Macau have seen a substantial enhancement of connectivity through effective use of secondary airports. Seoul, Bangkok, and Taipei lead in per capita accessibility, offering exceptional connectivity relative to population size.
Hub Airports with Connectivity Leadership
The 2025 edition features a newly introduced 'Hub Connectivity Index,' which evaluates each airport based on the quality and effectiveness of its hub operations. Dubai International Airport emerged as the top hub, followed by Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Hamad International Airport.
About Airports Council International Asia-Pacific & Middle East Air Connectivity Ranking
The ACI Asia-Pacific and Middle East Air Connectivity Index is a comprehensive, passenger-focused analytical tool developed in partnership with PwC in 2023 and refined for its third edition in 2025. It measures the overall level of air passenger connectivity provided by airports across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions, assessing performance through three fundamental building blocks: network scale and frequency, economic weight of destinations, and connection quality and efficiency.
These are operationalised through three distinct index components:
The Direct Connectivity Index quantifies nonstop links, incorporating frequency, aircraft type, and the economic significance of destination airports.
The Indirect Connectivity Index captures the value of indirect itineraries, accounting for airline partnerships, number of stops, and international reach.
The Hub Connectivity Index assesses an airport's ability to function as an international transfer point, using factors such as viable transfer windows, route deviation from direct flight paths, and the strength of onward connectivity.
Together, these components provide a multi-dimensional and empirically grounded view of how airports connect people to places, balancing volume, relevance, and the quality of the passenger journey.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
15 hours ago
- RNZ News
The Kiribat pilot inspiring the next generation of Pacific aviators
Photo: Salote Mataitini When Salote Mataitini first dreamed of becoming a pilot, she was a child reading newspaper articles about aviators, long before iPhones or social media. "In primary school, I learned about pilots through newspaper interviews, pre-smartphone era," she said. Today, Mataitini lives out her lifelong dream. She is a captain with Air Kiribati, flying across one of the world's largest ocean states and inspiring the next generation of Pacific aviators. Photo: Salote Mataitini Originally from the Garden Island of Taveuni and raised in Somosomo, Fiji, Mataitini's journey began in Aotearoa, where she trained at Ardmore Flying School in South Auckland. "That was a great experience as I got to see different parts of the country while studying," she said. "While doing… my NZ commercial pilot's licence, I was lucky to be able to pick wherever I wanted to fly to, so because of that exposure, I've been to most, if not all, the airports and aerodromes in the upper North Island and Great Barrier Island." She joined Air Kiribati as a first officer a decade ago and has flown as a captain on the Harbin and twin otter aircrafts for the past eight years. "In Kiribati, we provide air service to 20 airports - 17 in the Gilbert Group while we are based in our HQ in Tarawa, and three airports in the Line Islands Group based in Christmas Island. So every few weeks we rotate between these two bases," she said. "Kiribati is a massive ocean state with atolls spread across the central Pacific Ocean. I'm quite blessed to be flying in these parts of the world where I get to cross the equator multiple times a day." Mataitini's pathway wasn't without challenges, however. Early in her career, female pilots in the Pacific were rare, and gender bias was common. "During the early days of my career there weren't many female pilots in the Pacific. Gender bias was very prevalent in those days," she said. "When I look back now, it was God's way of redirecting me to my destiny to go and work in Kiribati. "I have been able to fully immerse myself in the culture and language because of the way the people of Kiribati have embraced me as one of their own." While Mataitini finds peace in the sky, she said that her job is just as rewarding on the ground. "Watching families, friends and loved ones reunited after a flight is always a rewarding experience." Photo: Salote Mataitini Beyond the cockpit, Mataitini is passionate about inspiring young people to pursue careers in aviation. "Once I started flying, I wanted to do the same to inspire not only girls but the next generation of aviators. So that's when I started sharing my journey and my story online," she said. Through her social media posts, Mataitini has become a recognisable role model across the region. She frequently receives messages from parents of aspiring pilots, and takes time to guide them, offering advice on training, pathways, and nearby flight schools. "In Kiribati, it's become… normal for them to see me fly to their island. Compared to when I first started, it was rare to see a female pilot. "But now when I land, I'm surprised to hear kids calling out to me, calling out my name. So I normally just smile and wave or go shake their hands," she said. Salote Mataitini is inspiring young children to enter the aviation space Photo: Salote Mataitini She continues to be a sought-after speaker at graduations and school events across the country, where she encourages young people to dream boldly, and pursue their goals. Today, Mataitini is heartened by the growing number of young Pacific people, particularly women, entering aviation. "A decade later I'm beginning to see the fruits of that influence. It's great to see a number of new Kiribati female graduate pilots and a few others who are currently in Nadi flying schools," she said. "It's only a matter of time before they'll start sharing the cockpit with me, so I look forward to that day." However, Mataitini maintains that women in Kiribati are natural "leaders, mothers, and highly educated role models". "I see my role as an extension to theirs," she said. "Together, we inspire the next generation to follow in our footsteps, empowering not only females - but the future leaders of Kiribati."
RNZ News
17 hours ago
- RNZ News
Foreign student income down on pre-Covid earnings
More than half New Zealand's foreign students studied in Auckland last year. Photo: 123RF Foreign students paid $1 billion in fees last year and more than half that money went to universities. The figures were supplied to the Education Ministry by providers, as part of their reporting for the export education levy. They showed 74,990 international students in New Zealand last year, including 18,020 at schools and more than 25,880 at universities. Their fees totalled $1.085b, about $100m less than the pre-pandemic years of 2018 and 2019. However, two sectors achieved their highest fee incomes on record - universities with $580m and government-funded private tertiary institutions with $167m. The fee take at non-government-funded tertiary institutions, schools and polytechnics last year was well below pre-pandemic numbers. The figure for non-government-funded tertiary institutions - a category that covered English language schools - was just $52.8m, down from a 2019 figure of $135m. Schools received $152m, down from $201m in 2019, and polytechnics received $132.8m, down from $178m. More than half the foreign students last year (43,060) studied in Auckland. Most students (61,500) came from Asia, with the next most significant source being Europe with 5345. At universities and polytechnics, management and commerce was the single largest field for foreign enrolments, accounting for 30 percent of polytechnic enrolments and 28 percent of university enrolments. The 74,990 individual students equated to 46,005 full-time equivalents, three-quarters of the 61,530 full-time equivalents in 2019. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
18 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Capable NZ set to lose 20 jobs
Otago Polytechnic staff are feeling "like stunned mullets" after the institution cut 20 jobs from a ground-breaking department. Staff were informed of the decision on Thursday to cut the Capable NZ department from about 30FTEs to nine FTES and an additional head of college role, after a proposal was put forward in March. Despite staff fighting for more jobs to be kept, management at Otago Polytechnic agreed on a rate of job cuts very similar to the March proposal. A staff member, who did not wish to be named, said people were "like stunned mullets" when they heard the news. "We expected a bit of pain, but nothing of this level. "The staff will try to teach the material to a gold-standard level, but it becomes increasingly difficult with far less staff support." Capable NZ allows students to apply and start any time and complete the required work from anywhere in New Zealand. Qualifications earned through Capable NZ have the same value as those earned through normal Otago Polytechnic programmes, or other tertiary institutions. Capable NZ had at its height more than 500 students. This had dropped to about 270 last year. The polytechnic blamed the ongoing effects of Covid-19 and the fact it was a politically fraught environment. Otago Polytechnic deputy executive director Mark Cartwright said "despite the change in structure, it's important to emphasise there will be no cuts to existing programmes". "We believe Capable NZ provides an important and meaningful service to our community and are committed to its continued delivery. "The purpose of the change is to ensure we are operating in a financially sustainable way. "We will move the Capable NZ department and all of its programmes to sit under Te Maru Pumanawa (TMP), our College of Creative Practice and Enterprise." Former Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker said this week's announcement of cutbacks to Capable NZ, "represents a real vote of no confidence" in the department. He said many of the problems could be traced back to the merging of the country's 16 Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) into the mega-polytechnic Te Pukenga. "At the advent of Te Pukenga, Capable NZ was the largest school at Otago Polytechnic, with nationwide coverage and offering highly innovative and unique programmes. That was why it had so many staff. "So, clearly it's fallen on hard times. What I am aware of is that there was considerable neglect on the marketing and promotion front across many aspects of Te Pukenga. "I've got no doubts that Capable NZ would have suffered from that." Mr Ker said despite these barriers, he was confident Capable NZ could rise again if managed properly. "The Capable NZ approach, which is at the undergraduate level, is still highly innovative in a global context, let alone in a New Zealand context. "It offers access to degree-level qualifications for people in work. That is as cost-effective as you can get. "So it seems to me that any downturn could easily be counteracted by a well-planned and well-focused marketing and recruitment programme." Staff told the Otago Daily Times they were worried about the bulk of the programme's institutional memory disappearing. Tertiary Education Union assistant secretary Daniel Benson-Guiu said Capable NZ was unique to Otago Polytechnic in that it was neither an "on campus" course or a "work-based learning" course. "People flocked to it outside of the polytechnic's catchment area," Mr Benson-Guiu said. "A programme like this allows the polytechnic to have a more national focus, which is what's needed to ensure student numbers remain good." Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds is due to make an announcement next month about which polytechnics will become autonomous and which ones remain in a "federation" model. Otago Polytechnic has frequently expressed a desire to become autonomous again. Mr Cartwright said Otago Polytechnic needed to "ensure the financial viability of our organisation to be able to stand alone". Asked about Mr Ker's comments about the job cuts being a "vote of no confidence" in Capable NZ, Mr Cartwright said "this difficult decision is in no way a reflection of the amazing work the team does, or the unique products they offer". "It is the result of steadily declining enrolments. The changes will ensure we are able to continue to provide these products and services in a financially viable way."
