Southeast Asia airlines: part one – demand outlook spurs massive order backlog

If the Asia Pacific region is the growth engine for the global airline industry, then Southeast Asia could be considered the engine within the engine.

Southeast Asian airlines have racked up massive aircraft order backlogs to cater to rapidly rising demand in the dozen countries that comprise this subregion.

Of course, airlines here are not immune to industry headaches such as supply chain bottlenecks and delivery delays. These factors have disrupted fleet planning in Southeast Asia.

However, there are signs that deliveries and fleet renewal are slowly regaining some momentum.

LCCs are a major force in Southeast Asia, and they account for the bulk of the aircraft orders there. But full-service carriers have also placed significant orders with more in the pipeline.

Infrastructure expansion will be needed to accommodate the longer-term fleet expansion projections, and several important airport projects are underway to address that issue.

With the Singapore Airshow approaching in early Feb-2026, now is a good time to take a closer look at fleet developments in this region.

Part one of this snapshot looks at some of the fleet trends and market dynamics in the subregion, while part two will drill down to specific airlines and airport projects.