Mavcom executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim
KUALA LUMPUR: Air passenger traffic in Malaysia rose 12.7% year-on-year (y-o-y) to 8.7 million in August 2024, driven by a surge in international travel.
Compared to the previous month, however, there was a 1.5% decrease from July's 8.8 million passengers.
According to the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom), international air passenger traffic amounted to 4.5 million passengers, contributing to 51.4% of the traffic. This represented a 24.7% y-o-y increase and a 1.7% improvement over the preceding month of July 2024.
The aviation commission said notable new routes launched in August include flights from Kuala Lumpur to Ningbo, Karipur, and Guwahati, as well as from Kota Kinabalu to Ningbo and Bali.
"The introduction of visa exemptions for tourists from China and India, coupled with these new connections, has significantly increased international traffic, bringing August 2024's figures to 90.2% of the traffic levels recorded in August 2019, with international routes leading the recovery," it added.
Meanwhile, domestic air passenger traffic stood at 4.2 million passengers, representing a 2.2% y-o-y increase and a 1.3% decrease from July 2024.
This brought the total air passenger traffic for the first eight months of the year to 64.1 million passengers, in line with Mavcom's forecast.
"The August 2024 traffic figures reflect the resilience and continued momentum within Malaysia’s aviation sector, particularly in international travel.
"Despite a modest monthly decline, the strong year-on-year growth underlines the sector's robust recovery," said Mavcom executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim.
He said Mavcom is optimistic over the sector's ability to meet its full-year passenger forecast.
"Mavcom remains committed to ensuring the sustainable growth of the sector while empowering industry players to maintain high service standards as we safeguard consumer rights," he added.
Mavcom also reported growth in air passenger traffic in major airports from the previous year.
KL International Airport recorded a 20.1% y-o-y increase while Penang International Airport's traffic expanded 11.9%.
Langkawi International Airport reported a 8.3% increase, while Senai International Airport and Kota Kinabalu International Airport posted y-o-y increases of 4.4% and 9%, respectively.
Year-to-date, the international passengers in Kuching International Airport (KCH) experienced significant growth of 25% y-o-y.
