Yes, transport emissions in the region rose by 6.6% year-on-year in the last year reported and are now equal to the combined emissions from transport in Europe and North America, the Asian Development Bank reports. However, that's a two-way street; Asia also has some of the largest decarbonisation opportunities of any region on the planet, and the region's governments, airlines, ports and manufacturers are on a roll to grab them all. Hence, this year's regional transport discussion is all about sustainability and its energizing theme.
A REGIONAL OPPORTUNITY
The idea of hosting an expo in Malaysia is a tempting one to be read as a Malaysia story. It isn't. Leaders from across Asia, not just Malaysia, are being called to action by TXA 2026, as the declaration of the Aichi 2030 is adopted as a shared vision for 21 Asian countries to achieve “universally accessible, safe, affordable, efficient, resilient, clean and low-carbon” passenger and freight transport in Asia. The ADB (Asian Development Bank) provides a strong argument that Asia is uniquely positioned to take the lead: many of the region's transport systems are still under construction, rather than in place, and Asia's cities can move directly to high-speed rail, EV adoption and electric bus networks, without having to retrofit existing car-dependent cities built decades ago. The next step is to fill in the last remaining policy gaps between commitments and national transport plans and it's one that more and more governments in the region are starting to take.
THE SKIES
Decarbonising aviation is among Asia's greatest problems, but also among the biggest stories for growth. Airbus estimates that after growing at the highest rate in the world in 2025, Asia-Pacific's air travel market will double by 2043 and account for 60% of global passengers. The good news is that IATA's feedstock outlook for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) predicts that Asia-Pacific will also generate 40% of the world's SAF production by 2050, not merely to catch up, but to lead.
Governments are in motion, and moving quickly. To reach its 1% goal, Singapore has put in place a SAF levy for all passenger & cargo flights leaving the country from October 2026. Japan's target is to achieve 10% SAF usage by 2030. South Korea requires 1% SAF by 2027 and 10% by 2035. Thailand has signed an MoU with airlines to progress to a mandate; Indonesia has announced a 1% blend target by 2027; and Australia has offered AUD 1.1 billion in production incentives for low-carbon liquid fuels. Airbus has concluded feedstock and fuel-producer partnerships in Thailand, Indonesia, and China, co-invested in biofuel production in Australia, and has partnered with Cathay Group to expand the scale of SAF; airports around the region, including Singapore's Changi, are already researching infrastructure for a longer-term transition to liquid hydrogen.
THE TRACKS
If aviation is where Asia is struggling, rail is where Asia is winning. According to a summary of the report by Electronic Specifier, rail is the source of 8% of the world's passenger transport, and 7% of freight volumes, but uses only 2% of all global transport energy, and about 0.3% of the world's fossil-fuel CO2 emissions, compared with about 2% for aviation. This efficiency is an inherent climate benefit each time a passenger or tonne of freight moves by rail. Asia is leading that shift. Rail, already the main mode of transport in India, is poised to expand at a faster rate than any other country in the world as it constructs its first high-speed line between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Electrification is even further ahead in Asia: South Korea has about 85% electrification, one of the highest rates anywhere in the world, and those cities that are even further behind in electrification – China, Japan, Russia, and parts of Europe – are all above 60%. The IEA points out that a new high-speed line can provide "almost immediate net CO2 benefits," reducing aviation on the same lines by up to 80 per cent — a subtle but significant climate benefit, which Asia is rapidly increasing — as freight rail consumes only about 90 per cent of the energy compared to trucking per unit moved.
THE SEAS
Asian ports are leading the way in decarbonising the world's shipping industry. In April 2026, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore extended its Green and Digital Shipping Corridor partnership with the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for another three years, marking the continued success of the partnership. Singapore has already been conducting methanol bunkering trials and has awarded three methanol bunkering licences; port-to-port data sharing tests between Singapore and Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines are in progress; and methanol bunkering trials and a methanol bunkering pilot are planned in Long Beach and Los Angeles in 2026.
South Korea is following that up with robust measures. It has introduced detailed regulations under a Special Act on Support for the establishment of Green Shipping Routes that go into effect in April 2027, clarifying which ships and fuels (such as methanol, hydrogen, ammonia, biofuels, battery-electric and fuel cell) qualify as "green" and can therefore access green corridors. The plan is ambitious: reducing the emissions of Korean shipping companies' ships from ocean-going operations by 61% by 2035 and having 889 of their ships use alternative fuels by the same year are the targets set in the accompanying national plan. The national plan also has as its goal that Korean shipyards would be able to capture 50% of the global zero-carbon shipbuilding market by 2035.
HYDROGEN AS THE NEW ENERGY SOURCE
The long-term gamble for transport is hydrogen, and China, Japan, and South Korea are betting on it for heavy-duty vehicles. As International Council for ICLEI (Local Environmental Initiatives) East Asia reports, major capitals in East Asia have already implemented their national hydrogen strategies, including the Basic Hydrogen Strategy (2017) by Japan and the Hydrogen Economy Roadmap (2019) by Korea, and China's Long-Term Plan (2021-2035). While Seoul plans to roll out 40 hydrogen refuelling stations and 34,000 fuel-cell vehicles by 2026, one part of which will be 1,000 fuel-cell buses, Beijing has 10,000 fuel-cell vehicles to achieve by 2025, as part of demonstration projects tied to the 2022 Winter Olympics. By the end of 2022, a total of almost 3,000 fuel-cell vehicles had been sold, with the help of purchase subsidies and tax and toll incentives, in Seoul. These are preliminary figures, and there's a lot of work to be done on infrastructure. But the momentum is building, and the momentum is in the right direction: every new refuelling station, subsidy program, and new demonstration fleet makes the case for the next one, and three of the biggest economies in Asia are now moving in the same direction.
Be Part of Asia’s Transport Future
Across Asia, the transition to cleaner transport is creating new opportunities for innovation, investment and collaboration. TXA 2026 invites the industry to explore what comes next and the partnerships that can help make it happen.
For transport operators, technology providers, policymakers and investors, the exhibition offers an opportunity to discover emerging solutions, exchange ideas across rail, aviation and maritime, and connect with potential business partners. Whether you are seeking technology for your next project, exploring new markets or looking to share your expertise, these conversations could be the starting point.
Join Transport Expo Asia 2026 from 20–22 October at MITEC, Kuala Lumpur. Come with questions, meet new partners and help shape the future of transport in Asia.
