Despite a 6% reduction in capacity this month compared to December 2023, Lion Air remains Southeast Asia’s largest carrier, accounting for 7% of the region’s capacity with 2.89 million seats in December 2024, according to OAG data.
Air Asia follows closely as the second-largest carrier, also holding a 7% regional share of capacity. This represents a 14% increase in capacity compared to last year.
Batik Air experienced a 27% reduction in capacity compared to last year but remains within the top 10 carriers in the region.
Cebu Pacific Air, Philippines largest budget airline, added the most capacity, increasing by 612,500 seats, which represents a 33% increase compared to December 2023. Percentage-wise, Batik Air Malaysia saw the most significant growth, more than doubling its capacity compared to last year.
The busiest flight route in Southeast Asia remains Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore (SIN), with 465,700 seats this month, a 12% increase from December 2023. Singapore continues to be a key international hub in the region, with six of the top ten international routes starting or ending there. Four of the top five international routes are between Singapore and other major regional hub airports: Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Bangkok (BKK), Jakarta (CGK), and Denpasar (DPS).
International capacity within the top 10 routes continues to grow most on the Denpasar (DPS) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) route, increasing by 27% compared to last year.
The busiest domestic route in Southeast Asia remains Hanoi (HAN) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) with 863,000 seats. Jakarta (CGK) to Denpasar (DPS) is the second busiest domestic route with 579,300 seats. Five of the top 10 domestic routes in the region are in Indonesia, which has the largest population in the region.
Capacity continued to reduce most on the Jakarta to Medan Kuala Namu (CGK-KNO) route, declining by 23% compared to last year. Conversely, domestic capacity increased most on the Bangkok Don Mueang to Phuket (DMK-HKT) route, growing by over a quarter compared to December 2023.
The largest increase in international capacity was at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport, which saw an increase of 394,600 seats, a 16% rise compared to December 2023. International capacity also increased by almost 327,000 seats at Singapore Changi and by 240,200 seats at Kuala Lumpur International compared to last year. Percentage-wise, international capacity increased significantly at Phu Quoc, rising by 175.5% with an additional 91,300 seats compared to December 2023.
