KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd’s (MAHB) network of airports recorded over 10 million passengers in June 2023, the highest since the global shutdown in March 2020.
MAHB’s network of airports in Malaysia and Turkiye continued to showcase consistent passenger growth by recording a new high of 4.9 million total international passenger movements for June 2023, an increase of 7.1 per cent from the preceding month.
Total domestic passenger movements maintained above the 5.0 million mark for the second consecutive month in June 2023 at 5.3 million.
“On the whole, for the first half of 2023 (H1 2023), the group recorded 56.1 million passenger movements, reaching 82 per cent of 2019 pre-pandemic levels over the same corresponding period,” MAHB said in a statement today.
MAHB managing director Datuk Iskandar Mizal Mahmood said the airport network is progressing in tandem with gradual global and regional traffic recovery.
He said passenger movements for H1 2023 for Malaysian airports stood at 38.9 million as international traffic gained ground, supported by positive developments, while the domestic sector continued to lead the traffic recovery momentum.
Iskandar said the resumption of 45 airlines and commencement of two new airlines, T’way Air and TransNusa, boosted total airline seat capacity recovery to 75 per cent at 50.5 million in H1 2023 compared with 67.3 million in H1 2019.
“The total average load factor for H1 2023 exceeded H1 2019’s by 1.2 percentage points at 76.1 per cent, with a higher average load factor recorded each month during H1 2023 except for the month of Ramadan, providing optimism for further growth in seat capacity towards the path of traffic recovery,” he said.
MAHB said for June, operations in Malaysia recorded close to seven million passenger movements, increasing by 2 per cent from the preceding month.
International passenger movements in Malaysia for the first time recorded more than three million passengers at 3.2 million, which was also an increase of 7 per cent when compared with May.
Traffic momentum for domestic passenger movements has continued to record above the three-million mark since December 2022.
Malaysia’s performance contributes to nearly 70 per cent of MAHB’s total global passenger movements, at 10.2 million passengers last month.
The Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Turkiye reached a significant milestone by recording the highest total passenger movements since March 2020.
It grew by 4.4 per cent to 3.3 million passengers for June and has completely recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
June saw the Turkiye airport recording another new high for international passenger movements at 7.2 per cent to 1.7 million passengers, while domestic passenger movements registered 3.7 per cent to 1.6 million passengers from the preceding month.
— Bernama
