KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd’s (MAHB) network of airports registered 7.8 million passenger movements in November 2022, reaching 67.8% of November 2019 levels.
In a statement today, the airport operator said in the first 11 months of 2022, its network of airports recorded 74.3 million passenger movements, hitting 57.9% of the levels recorded during the same corresponding period in 2019.
Malaysia recorded 5.2 million passenger movements for November 2022, at 59.8% of November 2019 levels.
Meanwhile, the international sector continued to record new highs, registering 2.2 million passengers and reaching 50.9% of November 2019 levels.
There was a large improvement in passenger movements over October 2022 from Northeast Asia, Southwest Pacific, and South Asia via city-pair destinations such as Hong Kong, Incheon, Haneda, Perth, Melbourne, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kathmandu, and Mumbai.
The Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) also welcomed Spring Airlines from Nanning, China, while AirAsia recommenced its Taipei service, and both Air Mauritius as well as Uzbekistan Airways resumed Mauritius and Tashkent services beginning early November 2022.
From December 1, 2022, Cathay Pacific recommenced its service from Hong Kong to Penang while Scoot Airlines resumed its service from Singapore to Kuantan.
’’For the first time since the Covid-19 outbreak, the international sector accounted for 43% of total traffic share in November 2022. The improved share of international to the domestic mix is the highest recorded for Malaysia since the pandemic hit,’’ MAHB said in a filing to Bursa Malaysia today.
As for the domestic sector, 2.9 million passenger movements were recorded in November 2022, reaching 68.9% of November 2019 levels.
Malaysia’s average total load factor has steadily remained above the 70% level since May 2022 and recorded an encouraging 10.2% growth in international aircraft movements over October 2022.
MAHB said Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport recorded 2.7 million total passenger movements in November 2022, trending close to pre-Covid-19 levels, reaching 92% of November 2019 levels. – Bernama, December 20, 2022
