The ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East Air Connectivity Ranking is a comprehensive, passenger-centric analytical tool developed in collaboration with PwC in 2023 and refined for its third edition in this year. The Ranking evaluates the overall level of air passenger connectivity offered by airports across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions. It assesses performance through three fundamental building blocks: network scale and frequency, economic weight of destinations, and connection quality and efficiency.
The Asia-Pacific region witnessed a remarkable 13 percent jump in overall connectivity compared to 2023, while the Middle East posted an impressive 28 percent increase, surpassing all post-COVID recovery forecasts. On average, connectivity across all airports rose in both Asia-Pacific and the Middle East by +14 percent, a strong testament to the resilience and dynamism of the aviation sector.
In Asia-Pacific, intra-regional connections are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, trailing by just 0.2 percent. At the same time, intercontinental connectivity is on the rise, showing a solid 4 percent increase.
The Middle East, however, is not just recovering – it is setting a new pace. Both intra-regional and inter-continent connectivity have not only bounced back but have exceeded pre-pandemic levels by a significant margin of 18 percent and 16 percent, respectively.
