This should be a given, The sheer number of islands of in Asia presents a place where land transportation (Trains/Bus) cannot possibly compete. The sea transportation should be more developed by now but the way people value time the cost advantages of sea/ocean transport has all but disappeared in a market with lots of budget airlines serving the air travel category.
Asia is now world’s biggest air travel market
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 15:11:00 02/01/2010
Filed Under: business, Air Transport, Travel & Commuting
SINGAPORE – The Asia-Pacific region has overtaken North America as the world’s largest air travel market with 647 million passengers in 2009, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said Monday.
By contrast, 638 million people flew on commercial flights in North America last year, IATA announced at an aviation business conference on the eve of the Singapore Airshow featuring the world’s leading aviation industry players.
Within Asia, China has eclipsed Japan over the past decade as the region’s largest domestic market, with 1,400 aircraft compared with Japan’s 540 and 5.7 million weekly seats against 2.6 million in Japan.
The Singapore Airshow is taking place after a harrowing year in the global aviation industry, which lost an estimated $11 billion in 2009 as a result of the financial meltdown that began in the United States.
via Business – Asia is now world’s biggest air travel market – INQUIRER.net.