ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East launches RFP to undertake a study on socio-economic contributions and liberalisation of ASEAN Airports

Air transport is essential to Southeast Asia, a region of over 685 million people that includes large archipelagic states such as Indonesia and the Philippines, where aviation provides the only efficient means of national and regional connectivity. Airports enable access to essential services, support trade and investment, and underpin the tourism sector, which has become a major and growing source of national revenue across ASEAN. The people of ASEAN rely on air transport not only for regional mobility but also for extra-regional connectivity that links them to global markets.

To capture these realities and highlight the positive impacts of airports, Airports Council International Asia-Pacific & Middle East (ACI APAC & MID) has launched a Request for Proposal to develop a comprehensive study titled, Airports in Southeast Asia (ASEAN): Measuring Socio-Economic Value and Advancing Liberalisation.

The report will cover 10 ASEAN member States, assessing the role, performance, and modernisation needs of ASEAN airports in supporting regional integration, sustainable development, and connectivity advancement. This study seeks to provide a comprehensive, data-driven, and policy-relevant assessment of airport development in Southeast Asia on two interrelated pillars:

1. Socio-economic contributions: Quantifying the direct, indirect, induced, and catalytic economic and social impact of airports, disaggregated by country and linked to development outcomes such as employment, access to essential services, and regional equity. These impacts will be mapped against key UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
2. Liberalisation progress and connectivity gaps: Evaluating how far ASEAN states have implemented the ASEAN Single Aviation Market (ASAM), identifying policy and operational barriers, and quantifying connectivity gaps and lost opportunities for intra- and inter-regional integration.

The primary objectives of the study are to:

1. Generate actionable insights
2. Support advocacy toward national and ASEAN-level bodies
3. Offer an empirical foundation for infrastructure investment, regulatory alignment, and capacity-building initiatives

Submission Deadline: 03 October 2025, 23:59 HKT

Download RFP Document