Aviation Leaders Land In Perth To Define Future Regional Air Connectivity

The 21st edition of Routes Asia will bring together vice presidents and heads of network planning from over 100 of the region’s leading airlines, facilitating more than 2,500 meetings with airport and destination representatives to explore new route opportunities

Carriers in attendance include Air China, AirAsia Group, British Airways, China Southern Airlines, IndiGo, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways and Vietnam Airlines. View the attendee list

Routes Asia 2025 will also welcome more than 30 association and airline leaders, government ministers and expert suppliers to participate in the event’s Conference Programme. The line-up includes:

• Association of Asia Pacific Airlines’ Director General, Subhas Menon, will examine the region’s air travel outlook for 2025 and beyond.
• ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East’s Director General, Stefano Baronci, will outline the areas driving regional momentum.
• Abhijit DasGupta, Head of Planning & Revenue Management at IndiGo, will discuss the carrier’s approach to expanding its network, navigating post-pandemic recovery, and responding to changing market demands.
• Scott Zeglin, Head of Commercial Strategy & Performance at Qantas Group, will share key markets of interest for Australia’s national carrier.

This year’s event is hosted by Perth Airport and Tourism Western Australia. Currently served by 26 carriers, Perth Airport handled a record 16.9 million passengers in 2024, seeing strong growth in international, regional and interstate travel. Airlines that have recently introduced, resumed or increased service to Perth Airport include Emirates, China Southern, South African Airways and TransNusa.

Steven Small, Director of Routes, said: “Having unveiled a A$5 billion transformation that will create a unified ‘one airport’ experience, this is an exciting time for Perth Airport and Western Australia. With decision-makers from over 100 of the region’s leading and fastest-growing airlines in attendance, Routes Asia 2025 is a unique opportunity for the destination to showcase its remarkable growth opportunities and strengthen its position as a key player in the market. Independent analysis shows that airports in previous host destinations have seen their networks grow by around 5.7% more than comparable airports within three years.”

Tourism Western Australia Managing Director Anneke Brown said: “Hosting Routes Asia 2025 is a significant milestone for Western Australia and a wonderful opportunity to showcase Perth as the Western Gateway to Australia, and a growing global aviation hub, with immense potential to host new route connections.

“The airline leaders arriving to Perth next week play a crucial role in shaping the future of air travel in this region, and we’re thrilled to work together to create new aviation opportunities for Perth to drive growth for the state’s tourism industry and economy.”

Jason Waters, CEO of Perth Airport said: “We are excited to welcome over 900 national and international aviation decision-makers to the Routes Asia conference.

“Routes Asia gives us the unique opportunity to promote Perth directly to international airlines and raise the profile of our incredible destination and all that Perth and Western Australia has to offer.

“Perth Airport has commenced a significant investment program that will completely change the face of Perth Airport over the next decade and will create a world-class airport experience for travellers.  At the same time, it will deliver the capacity and efficiency our airline partners need to grow their connections into Western Australia.”

Business Events Perth CEO, Gareth Martin, said: “Hosting Routes Asia marks a significant milestone for Western Australia, which will continue to open doors for increased global connectivity, advancing aviation access, business travel, and leisure tourism opportunities,”

"Secured through a collaborative bid by Tourism Western Australia, Perth Airport, Business Events Australia, and Business Events Perth, this major aviation conference highlights our collaborative approach to driving business event visitation and expanding future aviation capacity."

Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison said: “Tourism Australia’s Bid Fund Program supported the successful bid for Routes Asia 2025 which will make a significant contribution to the local economy and leave behind a legacy of greater aviation connectivity to Australia. As an island nation aviation plays a critical role for our tourism industry and events such as Routes Asia in Perth will help to unlock new route opportunities. Aviation capacity to Australia has returned to levels we have seen in the past, but we hope to see more new routes and airlines emerge to make it easier for international travellers to visit.”