KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Group’s local airport network saw a 40% year-on-year increase in international traffic in the first half of 2024 (1H24), fuelled by the addition of six new airlines.
In a statement yesterday, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd
(MAHB) named the airlines as Cambodia Airways, Flydubai, Iraqi Airways, Juneyao Airlines, Thai Lion Air and Turkmenistan Airlines.
MAHB reported that these airlines contributed to a total passenger movement of 45 million in 1H24, reaching 87.9% of pre-pandemic levels from the same period in 2019.
“The recovery in total seat capacity reached 85% in 1H24, amounting to 57 million seats compared to 67.3 million in 1H19,” it said.
Furthermore, MAHB noted that the average load factor for 1H24 was 78.8%, surpassing the 1H19 level by 3.4 percentage points.
“This sustained growth throughout 1H24 indicates robust demand, potentially prompting further expansions in seat capacity offerings,” it added.
It said the overall performance of Malaysia Airports Group’s local airports in 1H24 showed resilience, with total passenger movements reaching 45 million, marking a notable 15.5% increase over 1H23 and achieving 87.9% of the passenger levels seen in 1H19.
Meanwhile, the addition of two new airlines, Air Arabia and AJet, at Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, its Turkyish asset, led to surpassing pre-pandemic passenger movements with 20 million passengers recorded in 1H24, a 16.4% increase over 1H23 and an 18.1% increase over 1H19.
The group registered 65 million passenger movements in 1H24, representing a growth of 15.8% compared to 1H23 and reaching 95.4% of 2019 levels.
The robust performance in 1H24 was driven by international passenger movements, buoyed by increasing air travel demand, visa exemptions for travellers from China and India, and an expanded array of airline routes. — Bernama
