KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 26): Malaysia's air passenger traffic rose 14.3% year-on-year (y-o-y) to 8.8 million passengers in July, from 7.7 million previously, driven by the continued restoration of international routes and increased passenger demand, according to economic aviation regulator Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom).

This represented a 7.7% month-on-month (m-o-m) growth from the 8.1 million passengers recorded in June.

In a statement on Monday, Mavcom said the growth was primarily attributed to increased international travel, also supported by the implementation of 30-day visa exemptions for tourists from China and India, and the launch of new international destinations in July, including Sihanouk in Cambodia, Qingdao and Yantai in China.

This brought July’s traffic to 91.7% of pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels in July 2019, when traffic was at 9.6 million, with international traffic leading the recovery.

According to Mavcom, international traffic accounted for 51.6% of July's total, with 4.5 million passengers, while domestic traffic accounted for the remaining 48.4%, recording 4.3 million passengers.

International traffic grew 26.6% y-o-y, reaching 95.4% of July 2019’s levels. Domestic traffic saw a 3.5% y-o-y increase.

"All international airports in Malaysia posted double-digit y-o-y growth in international passenger numbers. The Kuala Lumpur International Airport saw a 28% increase. The Penang International Airport recorded a 22.3% increase, [followed by] Kota Kinabalu International Airport (+22.8%), Kuching International Airport (+15.5%), Langkawi International Airport (+12.1%) and Senai International Airport (+37.5%).

"In terms of traffic distribution, Asean and non-Asean routes both contributed equally to the growth in international traffic. Asean traffic reached 2.3 million passengers, a 4.5% m-o-m increase and a 16.3% y-o-y increase. Non-Asean traffic saw stronger gains, with 2.3 million passengers, reflecting an 18.5% m-o-m increase and a 39% y-o-y increase," said Mavcom.

For the first seven months of 2024, total air passenger traffic reached 55.4 million passengers — on track to meet Mavcom’s forecast of 93.9 million to 107.1 million passengers for the whole year.

International traffic constituted 51.4% of the total year-to-date passenger traffic, while domestic traffic accounted for 48.6%, said the commission.

Mavcom executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim said in the statement international traffic continued to lead the recovery.

"We are particularly encouraged by the strong performance in non-Asean markets, which indicates a growing interest in Malaysia as a destination and transit hub. As the aviation industry approaches pre-pandemic levels, Mavcom is optimistic that Malaysia will be on track to meet the expected passenger traffic for the year.

"We remain committed to facilitating sustainable growth, maintaining high service standards, and protecting consumer rights in the sector. We look forward to seeing this positive uptrend continue into the remaining months of the year,” he added.