KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 28): Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) recorded a total of 10.2 million passenger movements in October 2023, with 6.8 million (67%) contributed by local operations and 3.3 million (33%) from its asset in Türkiye, namely the Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW).

According to a statement, the group has registered a total of 98.9 million passenger movements on a year-to-date basis, equivalent to 84.7% of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

MAHB stated that domestic passenger movements in Malaysia in October 2023 reached 80.3% of 2019 levels at 3.4 million passengers.

“The average load factor for the domestic sector was 81.5%, the second highest to date after August 2023, which recorded 82.2%,” said MAHB.

Meanwhile, international passenger movements in Malaysia also saw a 3.6% growth in October 2023, compared to September 2023, due to a 3.3% increase in the airline seat capacity offered.

MAHB said the growth was also supported by new services from KL International Airport to Zhangjiajie, China by Batik Air Malaysia; Kertajati, Indonesia by Malaysia Airlines; and Padang, Indonesia by Super Air Jet.

For SAW, the airport recorded 3.3 million passenger movements in October 2023, with 1.7 million international passengers and 1.6 million domestic passengers, up 4.7% from 2019 levels.

In October 2023, Penang International Airport also welcomed the arrival of two global carriers — Qatar Airways and Thai Airways International — paving the way for the resurgence of the tourism sector and the aviation industry's continued recovery.

“Qatar Airways resumed its Doha-Phuket-Penang route with daily flights, while Thai Airways International made its debut by introducing new daily services to Bangkok,” it added.

At the time of writing on Tuesday, MAHB shares were down four sen or 0.54% to RM7.30, giving the airport operator a market capitalisation of RM12.18 billion.