KUALA LUMPUR (July 22): The local airport network of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd or MAHB (KL:AIRPORT) saw a 40% year-on-year increase in international traffic in the first half of 2024 (1H2024), fuelled by the addition of six new airlines.

In a statement on Monday, MAHB named the airlines as Cambodia Airways, Flydubai, Iraqi Airways, Juneyao Airlines, Thai Lion Air and Turkmenistan Airlines.

The group reported that these airlines contributed to total passenger movements of 45 million in 1H2024, reaching 87.9% of pre-pandemic levels from the same period in 2019.

"The recovery in total seat capacity reached 85% in 1H2024, amounting to 57 million seats, compared with 67.3 million in 1H2019," it said.

Furthermore, MAHB noted that the average load factor for 1H2024 was 78.8%, surpassing the 1H2019 level by 3.4 percentage points.

"This sustained growth throughout 1H2024 indicates robust demand, potentially prompting further expansion in seat capacity offerings," MAHB added.

It said the overall performance of the group's local airports in 1H2024 showed resilience, with total passenger movements reaching 45 million, marking a notable 15.5% increase over 1H2023, and achieving 87.9% of passenger levels seen in 1H2019.

Meanwhile, the addition of two new airlines, Air Arabia and AJet, at the Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, the group's Turkish asset, led it to surpass pre-pandemic passenger movements with 20 million passengers recorded in 1H2024, a 16.4% increase over 1H2023 and an 18.1% increase over 1H2019.

The group registered 65 million passenger movements in 1H2024, representing a growth of 15.8% compared with 1H2023, and reaching 95.4% of 2019 levels.

The robust traffic performance in 1H2024 was predominantly driven by international passenger movements, buoyed by increasing air travel demand, visa exemptions for travellers from China and India, and an expanded array of airline routes.

"Total international passenger movements for the group saw 34.1 million passengers in 1H2024, up from 26.5 million in 1H2023, and a 5.3% increase over 2019 levels.

"Domestic passenger movements were also encouraging, recording a 4.1% growth over 1H2023 with 30.9 million passengers, reaching 86.5% of 2019 levels," the statement read.

MAHB is optimistic about maintaining this positive momentum, and remains committed to enhancing passenger experiences, expanding its route networks, and improving operational efficiencies to support sustainable growth.