KUALA LUMPUR: KL International Airport (KLIA) and Penang International Airport (PEN) strengthened Malaysia’s position as a global aviation hub with the addition of five new international air services in June 2025.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd
(MAHB) said in a statement that two of the new services were introduced by new airline partners, enhancing cross-border connectivity and regional access.
Cambodia Airways (KR) launched a twice-weekly service between Phnom Penh and PEN, while Juneyao Air (HO) began operating four weekly flights from Shanghai to KLIA, boosting travel options for passengers from China and the wider East Asia region.
In addition, MAHB said three new routes were introduced by existing airline partners, reflecting continued confidence in Malaysia’s aviation market.
"Batik Air Malaysia commenced a twice-weekly service between KLIA and Dili, Timor-Leste; AirAsia Cambodia introduced a thrice-weekly route connecting KLIA to Sihanoukville; and AirAsia began operating four weekly flights between KLIA and Darwin, Australia,” MAHB said.
In June, MAHB including its asset in Turkiye, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (ISG) handled a total of 12.7 million passenger movements.
"Of this, local airports in Malaysia contributed 68 per cent or 8.5 million passenger movements, comprising 4.2 million international and 4.3 million domestic travellers. ISG recorded 4.1 million total passenger movements, comprising 2.2 million international and 1.9 million domestic in June,” MAHB said.
Meanwhile, on the local front, MAHB said Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB) posted notable month-on-month growth in June, with passenger movements rising 9 per cent from 138,000 in May to 151,000.
The airport operator noted that international traffic at SZB grew by over 10 per cent to 40,000 passengers, while domestic movements climbed nearly 9 per cent to 111,000.
MAHB attributed this upward trend to strong average load factors of over 70 per cent on key regional routes operated by Firefly Airlines to Seletar, Scoot to Changi, and TransNusa Airlines to Jakarta.
While the increased domestic travel was also spurred by the harvest festival in Sabah and Sarawak, as well as Hari Raya Haji celebrations coinciding with school holidays. - Bernama
