Hanoi: Vietnam has overtaken Thailand to become Southeast Asia's second-largest commercial aviation market by available seat capacity in August, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported, citing OAG, a global provider of aviation data and analytics.
According to Nam News Network, Vietnam moved into second place with 7.3 million seats, marking a 10 percent increase from the previous year. This represents the fastest growth rate among the Southeast Asian aviation markets analyzed by OAG. This surge in seat capacity underscores the rising travel demand within Vietnam and benefits from the presence of several major airports serving passengers across the nation, OAG noted.
Additionally, OAG highlighted the significant cooperation between Vietnamese tourism businesses and airlines. Tour operators frequently book large blocks of seats and engage in joint promotional and marketing campaigns, which facilitate quicker filling of flights. This strategic collaboration has been instrumental in enhancing the aviation market's growth.
Further contributing to the expansion is the development of new destinations, which is creating more opportunities for Vietnam's international air network to grow. In its August Southeast Asia Aviation Market Briefing, OAG reported that Indonesia maintained its position as the region's largest aviation market, with 11 million seats, a 4.3 percent increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, Thailand fell to third place with 7.2 million seats, reflecting a 1.7 percent decline year on year.
Other Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and the Philippines, also experienced declines in seat capacity. Malaysia recorded 5.4 million seats, down 6.4 percent, while the Philippines had 4.8 million seats, a decline of 5.7 percent.