350 new airports in Asia
In the next ten years, Asia will become the epicenter of airport investments. Hundreds of new airports are planned all over the continent, the result of new investments of over $100 billion. The strongest growth is expected in China, India and Indonesia.
In a report by consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan some 350 additional airports are forecast to be finished by the mid-2020’s, to handle the increase in air travel in Asia. Business and tourism travel is up, especially in South Asia. UNWTO, United Nations' World Tourism Organization, has calculated that Asia-Pacific tourism levels grew six per cent between January and April 2014 - one per cent over the global average.
According to the report, China is building over 100 airports and India is building over 60 airports. Indonesia will also have to invest to keep airport capacity in sync with the growing number of travellers.
Frost & Sullivan concludes that most airports in the region are facing capacity constraints, a situation which is being rectified by airport expansion and construction at several major Asian cities such as Singapore and Bangkok. In China, $11bn is invested for a new mega-airport in Beijing while, in India, no less than 200 budget airports are set to spring up over the coming two decades. Indonesia's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is presently operating at triple its capacity.
Image: Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport - Wikipedia