Aircraft makers, lessors in a spot as SE Asian budget airline boom turns sour

Aircraft makers, lessors in a spot as SE Asian budget airline boom turns sour

A member of ground staff walks under the wing of an AirAsia plane at Kota Kinabalu airport, Malaysia, November 30, 2015. REUTERS/Olivia Harris/Files

Southeast Asian low-cost carriers, a key growth engine for planemakers and leasing companies for a decade before the pandemic, are faltering financially as demand plunges, raising questions over whether they can replace and double their fleets.