International travel has surged to its highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic as airlines rapidly add new routes into Australia after years of lagging other countries in competition among carriers.

Some of the world’s biggest airlines have added more flights, with Singapore Airlines’ average daily flights rising 21 per cent compared to a year earlier, while Cathay Pacific’s was up 29 per cent. Thai Airways now flies an average 67 per cent more every week than it did this time last year.