Aviation has been an integral component in the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). Since ASEAN designated air transport as one of the twelve priority sectors for economic integration in November 2004, significant integration and liberalization have taken place in the past 15 years. The number of passengers carried in ASEAN countries has tripled, from 98 million in 2004 to 329 million in 2016. (The World Bank, 2018). In particular, intra-ASEAN traffic has increased significantly. With the substantial growth, some ASEAN city pairs are now ranked as the busiest international routes worldwide.

This Policy Ideas considers the next steps in developing a Single Aviation Market in ASEAN (ASAM), and proposes recommendations for achieving this vision.