Airfares to Asian destinations surge amid strong demand for year-end travel

Despite the higher fares, both companies said travellers do not seem to be discouraged from making plans to fly during the year-end period.

Travel searches “surged significantly” after COVID-19 border measures were eased for some north Asian destinations in late September, said Ms Rajaram.

This shows that “vacation-deprived Singaporeans are excited to return to their favourite holiday destinations, especially for the season of Christmas and New Year”, she added.

“Intra-Asia travel to other nearby destinations like Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Seoul continues in an upward trend, as convenient holiday options and international corridors for long-haul flights from the US and across Asia.”

She added: “While travellers may be looking for lower cost options when planning travel, we don’t see air ticket price dampening traveller’s interest to travel in the near term.”

Traveloka also observed that a “significant number” of Singapore travellers have made plans for year-end holidays on the platform, Mr Indra said.

Top destinations include Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, South Korea, the Philippines and Japan, he added.

Earlier this month, Singapore’s Transport Minister S Iswaran said the air transport sector recovered to about 80 per cent of pre-COVID levels in the first half of 2022.

Changi Airport also began to ramp up operations as demand for flights increased, resuming operations in Terminal 4 in September after it was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The airport also began a phased reopening for Terminal 2, which welcomed arrivals in May and resumed departures on Tuesday.