KUALA LUMPUR (June 25): Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) (KL:AIRPORT) said it is actively pursuing 15 more foreign carriers to operate in the country over the next two years.

In a statement on Tuesday, the group said it had expanded the country's network connectivity, resulting in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) now serving 70 airlines, surpassing its pre-pandemic level of having 69 airlines.

MAHB said that by year end, three more airlines — British Airways, Thai VietJet and 9 Air — are expected to begin operations.

MAHB aims to elevate KLIA as a preferred international hub by pursuing the 15 foreign carriers to operate in Malaysia.

To bolster air travel, the group has also invested significantly in initiatives such as the Airline X-celeration Programme, which includes landing fee waivers, airport office rental rebates, and marketing support.

It said about RM3 million had been allocated for marketing support on Malaysia-China routes alone so far, underscoring the group’s commitment to enhancing connectivity and attracting more airlines.

MAHB’s total passenger movements rose 12.3% year-on-year to 11.2 million in May, driven by a combination of factors including public holidays which coincided with the school holiday season.

This marks the fifth consecutive month that saw total passenger movements exceed the 10 million mark.

According to MAHB’s filing with Bursa Malaysia, international passenger movements grew 26% to 5.8 million from 4.6 million in the same period a year earlier, while domestic segments rose slightly to 5.39 million from 5.36 million.

Malaysia’s total passenger movements for May rose 12.1% to 7.7 million from 6.8 million, said MAHB.

“International and domestic passenger movements recorded 4 million and 3.7 million passengers, reaching 98.8% and 94.7% respectively over May 2019, demonstrating a continuous recovery trajectory to pre-pandemic levels. The positive traffic development for Malaysia can be attributed to the public holidays coinciding with the school holiday season, which traditionally stimulates travel demand, and the proactive efforts of foreign and local airlines to expand seat offerings.” it said.

Meanwhile, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport’s total passenger movements increased by 12.6% to 3.5 million from 3.1 million.

“International and domestic passenger movements continued to show resilience surpassing 2019 levels, with both segments achieving the highest monthly traffic in 2024,” MAHB added.

Shares of MAHB closed down seven sen or 0.72% to RM9.72 on Tuesday, giving the company a market capitalisation of RM16.22 billion.

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