News to Know

Asian Airlines Capture Demand as Middle East Crisis Reroutes Travel
SOURCE: BUSINESS TRAVELLER, 4/27

Long-haul travellers avoiding Middle Eastern hubs due to ongoing conflict have found alternate routes with Asian and Australian airlines, which have upped frequencies and hiked fares to Europe in response. However, even if seats are filled, surging jet fuel costs are a drag on airline profits.

Asian carriers were the first to benefit when hostilities grounded their Gulf competitors in early March. As people scrambled to leave the Middle East, or just to keep long-haul travel plans, Asian carriers with hemisphere-straddling networks sold out flights and inflated fares.

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