Airlines across Southeast Asia are expanding international networks ahead of the year-end travel season, seeking to capture demand from Europe, Central Asia, and neighboring markets despite elevated operating costs. In October, LOT Polish Airlines launched direct Warsaw–Bangkok flights, increasing to five weekly services from October 26, while Virgin Atlantic introduced three weekly London Heathrow–Phuket flights. Vietjet inaugurated Hanoi–Prague services via Almaty, Kazakhstan, while Thai Vietjet launched daily Kuala Lumpur–Bangkok flights, serving a corridor that carried 2.1 million passengers during the first half of 2026. Further expansion included Kuwait Airways’ new Kuwait–Phuket route and Air India Express’ Visakhapatnam–Bangkok service in late October. Governments are also seeking to convert greater connectivity into tourism spending. On October 5, the Tourism Authority of Thailand signed a Letter of Intent with aviation and tourism partners to develop the Amazing Thailand Transfer Passenger Privilege, which would offer eligible transit passengers curated excursions during longer flight connections.
Meanwhile, Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia MOVE launched the “Oh Sem Malaysia!” campaign on October 12, combining digital promotions and travel packages to encourage visits to secondary destinations. Together, these initiatives reflect efforts to attract more diverse visitor markets, channel tourism spending to local businesses, and strengthen regional competitiveness.
