KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s air passenger traffic grew 123.6 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to 19.4 million passengers in the first quarter of 2023 (1Q 2023), said the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom).
The performance was attributed to the rise in international passenger traffic in tandem with the full reopening of the country’s international borders, Mavcom said in a statement in conjunction with the release of its latest bi-annual Waypoint report today.
"Following the full reopening of international borders, international passenger traffic grew at an average of 80.9 per cent quarter-on-quarter.
"The approved international air traffic rights also demonstrated a notable y-o-y increase of 246.1 per cent, underscoring the steady revival of the international market,” it said, adding that total passenger traffic stood at 73 per cent of 2019 level.
Furthermore, the civil aviation regulator said Malaysia's air connectivity ranking improved to fifth place in Asean, overtaking the Philippines, with a connectivity score of 61 in 2022, reflecting a vibrant recovery in the aviation industry.
This improvement was due to higher deployment of international seats to destinations with a higher weightage following the lifting of border restrictions in the 3Q 2022, it said.
"Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s (KLIA) Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 maintained its position as the fourth-most connected airport in Asean,” it said.
Based on the Waypoint report, Mavcom noted that the revenue per available seat kilometre and cost per available seat kilometre (Rask-Cask) spread had stabilised to 1.6 sen in the 4Q 2022.
Meanwhile, the country’s cargo performance in 1Q 2023 declined as total freight tonne kilometre fell 11 per cent y-o-y to 4,666 million, marking the second declining quarter in a row, it said.
"This reduction is in line with Malaysia’s trading performance during the quarter, due to several factors, including a slowdown in the global economy, a continued shift in consumer spending from products to services, and a downcycle in the electrical and electronics industry,” it said.
Mavcom executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim said despite the downturn in cargo traffic in 1Q 2023, the remarkable surge in passenger traffic painted a compelling picture of the resilience inherent in the industry.
"This remarkable performance not only demonstrates our ability to rebound but also provides a solid foundation for continued growth in the sector throughout 2023,” he said.
The commission maintains its December 2022 air passenger traffic forecast as it expects air passenger traffic to rise between 40 per cent and 52 per cent y-o-y in 2023 to reach between 74.6 million and 80.8 million passengers.
Air cargo traffic is forecast to grow between three per cent and 4.8 per cent y-o-y in 2023, given the challenging cargo performance in 1Q 2023, adding that the year’s cargo traffic would hover near the lower end of the forecast, suggesting much slower growth, it added. - Bernama
