Malaysia’s Air Passenger Traffic Up 15.8% Y-o-y in November, But Drops Marginally M-o-m — Mavcom

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 2): Malaysia's air passenger traffic rose 15.8% year-on-year (y-o-y) to eight million passengers in November 2024, thanks to the surge in international travel driven by expansion of new routes and seat capacity, according to the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom).

The November’s passenger figures represented 88.7% of the traffic recorded in November 2019, the aviation regulator said in a statement on Thursday.

On a monthly basis, the November's passenger traffic slipped 0.5% from October's figure, mainly due to travel adjustments as travellers postponed trips to align with the December school holidays.

As of November 2024, air passenger traffic reached 88.3 million passengers, which is on track to meet Mavcom’s full-year passenger traffic forecast of 95.4 million to 97.6 million passengers.

“The expansion of new routes and consistent enhancements in capacity have strengthened Malaysia's international air connectivity,” Mavcom executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim.

“We are confident that this momentum will carry forward in 2025, as Mavcom remains committed to fostering a sustainable, resilient aviation industry that supports economic growth, elevates service quality and safeguards consumer rights,” he said.

International passengers contributed 52.5% or 4.2 million passengers to November's air passenger traffic, while domestic passengers made up the remaining 47.5% or 3.8 million.

Mavcom noted that major airports in Malaysia posted strong y-o-y growth in November for both domestic and international routes, with the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Selangor (Subang Airport) recording the highest y-o-y growth at 42.1%.

The introduction of new international routes in November was also one of the factors contributing to the overall growth, Mavcom said.

These routes included Kuala Lumpur to Dalat (Vietnam), Nairobi (Kenya), Sri Vijaya Puram (India) and Chiang Rai (Thailand), as well as Kota Kinabalu to Kaohsiung City (Taiwan) and Shantou (China).

“The expansion of seat capacity across key routes also bolstered the sector’s recovery, with international traffic continuing to outpace domestic travel,” it added.

Source: TheEdge - 3 Jan 2025