According to a report released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, carriers in the Asia Pacific region saw a combined total of 293 million international passengers in 2016, a 6 per cent increase from last year.

The widespread availability of competitive airfares and continued expansion in network connections boosted the numbers.

“Notwithstanding some unexpected geopolitical developments and macro-economic uncertainty in 2016, air passenger traffic carried by Asian airlines continued to grow,” said Andrew Herdman, director general, Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. “Asian regional travel markets were relatively strong, as was demand on routes to and from North America, although routes from Asia to Europe saw some weakness following terrorist-related incidents.”

Airlines including Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Philippine Airlines, China Airlines and Japan Airlines introduced several new domestic and international routes in 2016 with more in the pipeline for 2017. Here’s a recap of new routes added in 2016 and routes to be expected this year.

• Malaysia Airlines launched new flights between Penang (PEN), Kota Kinabalu (BKI) and Kuching (KCH) in November.
• Vietnam Airlines will offer direct flights between Sydney (SYD) and Hanoi (HAN) beginning March 28.
• Philippine Airlines will roll out all-new business-class and premium-economy-class seats on flights to Sydney (SYD) and Melbourne (MEL) by July 15.
• Hainan Airlines launched a new non-stop service from Shenzhen (SZX) to Auckland (AKL) in the third quarter of 2016.
• Singapore Airlines unveiled plans to increase service to Australia, Europe, Southeast Asia and West Asia during the busy summer travel season, starting June 4, to help meet growing demand.
• Hong Kong Airlines will operate direct daily flights between Hong Kong (HKG) and Vancouver (YVR) beginning June 30.

“The outlook for air travel markets in 2017 remains broadly positive, although the earlier boost to demand from falling oil prices is now behind us, and growth rates may moderate. Market conditions remain highly competitive,” predicted Herdman.