European airlines are essentially re-evaluating their entire business model right now, while Asia will soon have a lot more nonstop services available than in previously.
Because many of the normal transit centres (the Middle East) are not working in the same way that they were, there is fewer available flights and fewer available routes, thus causing a trickle-down situation to the airlines. Therefore, instead of using the transit centres, the airline has begun to skip those out-of-the-way transit centres.
British Airways, Air France and the Lufthansa Group are not letting any grass grow under their wheels. Each has already added additional non-stop flights to cities such as Singapore and Bangkok. Some are for a short period and other may be for a longer period of time, depending upon how things shake out in the end.
For example, within a week, British Airways began adding to the number of flights between London Heathrow and both Singapore and Bangkok. Meanwhile, British Airways has also suspended their own flights to many Middle East destinations including Dubai and Doha.
Air France is doing much of the same but with a broader range of destinations.
European airlines are so committed to expanding their operations across Asia, specifically, by providing additional long-haul flight options for their clientele traveling between Europe and SE Asia that they are now doing so at the same time! From Paris, for example, Air France is now providing a multitude of new international routes to Bangkok, Singapore, and Delhi, whilst also increasing capacity by using larger aircraft on existing routes. Lufthansa has recently announced that they will soon begin providing additional long-haul air service from many points of departure in Germany (Munich/Frankfurt) to numerous cities throughout Africa and Asia (e.g., Vienna to Bangkok via Austrian Airlines).
Other nations, including Singapore Airlines, are following suit by adding more long-haul flight options as well, and using larger aircraft, such as the Boeing 777-300ER, to facilitate the increase in passenger loads.
In short, the air transport industry has made a drastic decision to expand operations, in response to a loss of revenue from abruptly suspended Middle Eastern routes.
Normal flight paths between Europe and Asia usually must pass through stops along the Gulf; therefore, flying this route is reliable and connects millions of flights worldwide. When disruptions occur in any part of this network, all of the network’s function is compromised.
With that said, commercial airlines are responding and adapting to these changes real time rather than waiting for stabilization to occur; while it may be much more costly for airlines to operate direct flights, they provide certainty for the airline, as there is no longer a need to use unstable transit hubs to make one-stop connections.
More passengers than ever are utilizing the direct flights that were previously reliant on one-stop connections; whereas airlines used to rely predominantly on transiting through major hubs to provide services to customers, many airlines are now building independent routes that have greater emphasis on Asia as an important part of their global aviation strategies.
At this rate, these temporary operational changes are likely to become permanent.
