Airlines are adding more flights in Asia. Here's how that may affect airfares

Many flights that were canceled during the pandemic are returning to the skies this month.

Last week, Singapore Airlines and Scoot announced they're adding dozens of flights to cities crossed Asia. Citing beardown request and relaxed borderline restrictions, some airlines announced much flights betwixt Singapore and Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

Scoot is bringing backmost twice-weekly flights to Yogyakarta and Pekanbaru successful October too.

Most of the flights are reinstated ones, but Scoot's adding a fewer caller routes. This month, it volition commencement flying from Singapore to Lombok and Makassar, Indonesia. Scoot is besides adding a seasonal nonstop formation to Sapporo for travelers who privation to deed the slopes successful Japan this winter.

Both airlines are gearing up for much flights to China. Singapore Airlines launched services to Beijing successful September; this month, it volition commencement flying to Chengdu, with a 2nd play formation going to Shenzhen. Scoot is already flying into 4 Chinese cities, with flights to Wuhan and Zhengzhou starting this week.

Scoot isn't the lone fund bearer ramping up services successful the region. Cebu Pacific is restarting its archetypal planetary way from Davao to Singapore this month. And AirAsia is resuming respective flights betwixt Malaysia and Indonesia, including a caller way linking Bali to Penang.

On the heels of Hong Kong's relaxed borderline restrictions, Cathay Pacific's fund bearer HK Express announced plans to adhd much than 400 flights linking Hong Kong to Singapore, Bangkok and respective cities successful Japan earlier the extremity of the year.  

James Marshall, vice president of planetary aerial astatine Expedia Group, told "Squawk Box Asia" Monday that constricted formation choices for travelers successful Asia "was 1 of the reasons wherefore pricing was rather high."

"The information that airlines are expanding their capableness is simply a precise bully thing," helium said. But arsenic for whether formation prices are astatine their highest close now, Marshall said, "It's precise hard to say."   

One contented is that the manufacture continues to conflict with staffing shortages. The Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, a nonrecreational relation representing Cathay Pacific pilots, warned past week that due to the fact that of deficiency of unit "air fares volition proceed to emergence owed to debased proviso combined with a precocious demand" — a concern that volition inconvenience Hong Kong for "many years."

Staffing problems were blamed for the question chaos successful Europe and North America past summertime — a occupation Asian airlines don't privation to repeat, said Marshall.

"Airlines successful Asia-Pacific person been precise cautious connected however they negociate the summation ... ensuring that they get staffed astatine the close level truthful we don't extremity up with operational issues that we've seen successful different regions," helium said.

If airlines stay cautious astir adding caller flights and request remains beardown — particularly with the Christmas question play closing successful — cheaper airfares whitethorn not beryllium realized for immoderate time.

"We are evidently optimistic astir the opening and alteration of capacity, but the request is inactive precise strong, particularly towards the extremity of the year," said Marshall.