20 September 2024
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian airports welcomed 8.7 million air passengers in August, marking a 12.7% increase from the 7.7 million passengers recorded in August 2023.
This growth reflects a continued robust recovery in both international and domestic travel sectors.
However, on a month-on-month (m-o-m) basis, air traffic saw a slight decline of 1.5% from 8.8 million passengers in July 2024, according to a statement from the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom).
“Despite this modest monthly decline, the strong year-on-year (y-o-y) growth highlights the sector’s ongoing recovery,” stated Mavcom Executive Chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim.
He expressed optimism about achieving Mavcom’s full-year passenger forecast, citing restored international seat capacity, visa exemptions for key markets, and the introduction of new routes as contributing factors.
Mavcom noted that the growth was primarily driven by a surge in international travel, fueled by the expansion of international routes and the launch of new flights.
New routes introduced in August included 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, combined with these new connections, has significantly boosted international traffic, bringing August 2024 figures to 90.2% of the traffic levels recorded in August 2019, with international routes leading the recovery.
In August 2024, domestic air passenger traffic accounted for 48.6% of the total, amounting to 4.2 million passengers. This represented a slight 1.3% m-o-m decline from July 2024 but a 2.2% y-o-y increase from August 2023, reaching 84.7% of August 2019’s five million passengers.
Mavcom also reported that international air passenger traffic constituted 51.4% of the total, with 4.5 million air travelers in August 2024.
This included 2.3 million passengers from non-Asean regions and 2.2 million from Asean countries.
“The international non-Asean region experienced the highest growth, with a remarkable 34.6% y-o-y increase. Overall, total international air passenger traffic rose by 1.7% m-o-m and a substantial 24.7% y-o-y, reaching 96.1% of August 2019’s levels, indicating a near-complete recovery,” Mavcom noted.
Mavcom highlighted positive growth in air passenger traffic at major airports compared to August 2023.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport recorded a 20.1% y-o-y increase, Penang International Airport saw an 11.9% rise, Langkawi International Airport grew by 8.3%, while Senai International Airport and Kota Kinabalu International Airport posted increases of 4.4% and 9.0%, respectively.
Additionally, year-to-date figures indicate that international passenger traffic at Kuching International Airport experienced significant growth, with a 25% y-o-y increase.
For the first eight months of 2024, total air passenger traffic reached 64.1 million passengers, aligning with Mavcom’s forecast, with international traffic remaining the key driver at 51.4% of total traffic, while domestic traffic accounted for 48.6%.
