KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd
(MAHB) saw robust passenger traffic growth in May 2024, with a total of 11.2 million passengers across its 39 airports in the country and an international airport in Turkiye.
In a statement, the airport operator said the uptick in traffic was attributed to the extension of visa-free travel to China as well as new services by AirAsia from KLIA to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, and Juneyao Air from Penang International Airport to Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
There was also the resumption of AirAsia flights from KLIA to Biju Patnaik International Airport (BBI) in Bhubaneswar and China Eastern Airlines to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport (WUH).
According to MAHB, the level of passenger traffic in May was an improvement of 2% over 11 million passengers recorded in the previous month, which set a net record volume for the group.
In local airports, there were 7.7 million passenger movements, which was a 1% increase over the previous month's 7.6 million passengers.
A total of four million international passengers landed in May, which was a 2% increase from 3.9 million passengers in April.
Domestic traffic, meanwhile, remained steady with 3.7 million passengers.
"Overall, the combined growth in international and domestic traffic underscores the resilience and attractiveness of Malaysia's aviation sector," said MAHB.
There was also a 3% increase in passenger movements at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, bringing the passenger tally to 3.5 million, it added.
MAHB currently serves 70 airlines, one more than the pre-pandemic level of 69 airlines, and announced it will be serving an additional three airlines - British Airways, Vietjet Air and 9 Air - by the end of the year.
"The group is actively pursuing 15 more foreign carriers to operate in the country over the next two years, aiming to elevate KLIA as a referred international hub," it added.
