ASEAN airports backed 23.3 million jobs in 2025, study finds

A study by Airports Council International Asia-Pacific & Middle East has measured the economic scale of civil aviation in Southeast Asia. According to the report, airports and the links they make possible supported 23.3 million roles across the region and produced US$244 billion in GDP during 2025, as reported on 8 Oct 2026.

Taken on its own, activity tied to airports backed 1.6 million jobs and US$55 billion in GDP last year. The study records Vietnam's employment effect at about 368,000 positions, Indonesia's at around 335,000 and Malaysia's at roughly 282,000. Singapore led on GDP impact with about US$22 billion, while Malaysia was next at approximately US$11 billion and Thailand at about US$7.7 billion.

Tourism formed a large part of the total. The report estimates that 84.8 million overseas visitors entered ASEAN by air in 2025 and spent around US$127 billion, close to two-thirds of all international tourism expenditure in the bloc. It also ties strong growth to the ASEAN Single Aviation Market, noting that direct air links inside ASEAN grew by 358% between 2004 and 2025.

What it means for travellers from India

• The findings show how deeply Southeast Asian economies rely on air travel and tourism, highlighting the region's lasting emphasis on welcoming international visitors.
• Passenger traffic across ASEAN is expected to more than double in the next decade, which may lead to more routes and more frequent flights between regional cities.
• Cheap carriers now provide 51% of seats within ASEAN, up from 29% in 2008, suggesting a growing supply of budget-friendly options for moving around Southeast Asia.
• Further liberalisation could add roughly 6 million intra-ASEAN passengers and improve access to secondary cities, though the report says extra airport and airspace capacity will still be required.