Hong Kong – Southeast Asia’s budget carriers are hoping the worst of the Middle East-driven fuel shock is behind them, but face a difficult second half as margins remain under pressure and strained household budgets threaten demand, airline executives and analysts have said. The latest quarterly results from Malaysia’s AirAsia, Singapore Airlines’ budget arm Scoot and the Philippines’ Cebu Pacific showed that efforts to recoup soaring fuel costs through higher fares fell short. AirAsia and Cebu Pacific reported net losses, while Scoot’s operating loss nearly doubled.
The results exposed a squeeze at the heart of the low-cost model: Fuel makes up a larger share of expenses than at full-service airlines, but price-sensitive passengers leave carriers less scope to lift fares without weakening demand.
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