Uncertainty looms as US airlines navigate Asian markets reopening

The reopening of Asian markets is yet another welcome sign that global air travel continues its march towards pre-pandemic levels.

In particular, China's lifting of many of its most stringent policies is resulting in the US operators Delta Air Lines and United Airlines evaluating how they approach serving the country.

That cautious approach is reflected in a request by the lobbying group Airlines For America to extend existing slot use waivers for certain routes to Asia, due to testing requirements and visa requirements.

Essentially, US airline operators are taking a wait-and-see approach before deploying significant capacity back into some regions in Asia, since the full recovery in demand could take some time to materialise.

But promising trends are emerging from other regions in the Asia-Pacific.