Cheapest airports in Asia

When planning a round the world trip, putting your itinerary together usually seems quite easy, at least as far as the longer flights are concerned. You’ll fly from New York to London or from Los Angeles to Sydney or from Cape Town to Rio, as these options are generally known to be the cheapest to connect one big region to another. But things can be more difficult to plan your entry to Asia because the scene there can be confusing and can change regularly.

So with that in mind I’ve done the research for you. Of course the lists below could potentially change a bit over time, but at least this will give you a place to start your research. I spent a long time going over databases and using various tools that I could find on the internet, and some of the results were a bit surprising, though others were exactly what I expected beforehand.

Cheapest airports in Asia for long distance flights

The list below represents the six cheapest airports in EAST Asia, since everyone will go through this region at least once. I didn’t include India on this list since it’s not too easy to get around overland from India. Most people fly into India and then fly out of India. And besides, the prices for flights coming from Europe into East Asia should correspond with flights coming from India, so you can use that list as a place to begin.

• Tokyo (NRT)
• Beijing (PEK)
• Hong Kong (HKG)
• Singapore (SIN)
• Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
• Bangkok (BKK)

Cheapest airports for those flying from North America

1. 1 – Tokyo (NRT) – During promotions it can actually be surprisingly cheap to fly to Japan.
2. 2 – Beijing (PEK) – Beijing is the best bet for those skipping Japan due to expenses once there.
3. 3 – Hong Kong (HKG) – Hong Kong used to be incredibly cheap but not so anymore.
4. 4 – Bangkok (BKK) – For those looking for a dirt-cheap destination, it’s worth it to pay a bit more and come straight to Bangkok.
5. 5 – Singapore (SIN) – Singapore has an awesome airline, but it’s not too cheap to get here.
6. 6 – Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – Kuala Lumpur is a great hub for cheap flights around Asia, but is pricey to reach from long distances.

Cheapest airports for those flying from Europe

1. 1 – Beijing (PEK) – It’s a bit surprising that one of the more distant (from Europe) airports is often the cheapest into this region.
2. 2 – Hong Kong (HKG) – This one is no surprise, at least to me.
3. 3 – Singapore (SIN) – Singapore can be cheap out of Europe, unlike out of North America
4. 4 – Bangkok (BKK) – While this one isn’t the cheapest, it’ll always be popular with cheapskate travelers looking for a base.
5. 5 – Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – Malaysia isn’t much more expensive than the others, and this is a great base for further cheap flights.
6. 6 – Tokyo (NRT) – Not surprising that the most distant one costs the most here.

Cheapest airports for those flying from Australia

1. 1 – Bangkok (BKK) – Folks coming from Oz can get great deals into SE Asia.
2. 2 – Singapore (SIN) – It’s a bit surprising to me that Singapore is this cheap from Down Under.
3. 3 – Tokyo (NRT) – As the most distant one, this is a surprise as well.
4. 4 – Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – Again, flying into Malaysia is great for flights within the region.
5. 5 – Beijing (PEK) – Strange that this one isn’t one of the cheaper ones.
6. 6 – Hong Kong (HKG) – This is a big surprise, but things have changed in Hong Kong in the past few years.

Conclusion

In most cases you’ll be better off flying into where you want to actually be, rather than flying into a big hub that has cheap tickets. On the other hand, this list can be very handy if you want to go someplace that might be considered obscure. For example, if you want to fly to Brunei, then it might save you money to find a cheap ticket to one of these cities and then another onward ticket to Brunei.

At least this should give you a place to start your research for when you want to make it to Asia.