Vietnam Airlines has recently announced a plan to expand its intra-regional network with a new route connecting Ho Chi Minh City to Denpasar, Bali. Scheduled to launch in June this year, the service will operate four times weekly and is expected to further boost tourist arrivals between Vietnam and Indonesia. In 2024, the number of Indonesian tourist arrivals to Vietnam saw a significant year-on-year increase of 74.7%.
In Malaysia, AirAsia Malaysia will launch a new route between Darwin (Australia) and Kuala Lumpur, with the opening scheduled for 27 June 2025. Operating four times per week, the service is expected to not only increase Australian tourist arrivals to Malaysia but also stimulate regional travel. With multi-country visits popular in Southeast Asia, the new route could further drive potential visits to nearby countries such as Indonesia and Singapore, which already attract 1.6 million and 1.3 million Australian tourists in 2024, respectively.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Dato Seri Tiong King Sing, announced that plans are underway to establish a direct air route between Malaysia and Germany. Germany is currently the third-largest source of European tourists to Malaysia, with visitor numbers increasing by 19.7% compared to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.
Cambodia is also upgrading its airport infrastructure with a plan to inaugurate its ambitious $1.5 billion Techo International Airport in July. A joint venture between the Cambodian government and the Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation, the airport is poised to become one of Southeast Asia’s large-scale airports. It is initially designed to handle 13 million passengers annually, with expansion plans to accommodate 30 million by 2030 and 50 million by 2050.
As the region continues to attract international travelers, United Airlines has recently announced plans to increase its long-haul flights from the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to key Southeast Asia cities. Starting in October, the airline will launch new flights to Bangkok, Thailand, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and add a second daily nonstop flight to Manila, Philippines.
