Malaysia Airports Group has marked a significant step in global travel recovery, having successfully handled over 10 million passengers in June 2023.
This achievement is the group’s highest since the worldwide halt in air travel in March 2020. The group’s network of airports in Malaysia and Turkey recorded a new high of 4.9 million total international passenger movements for June 2023, showing a robust 7.1% increase from the previous month. Domestic passenger movements also performed strongly, exceeding 5.0 million for the second consecutive month in June 2023.
In total, the group saw 56.1 million passenger movements in the first half of 2023, reaching 82% of the pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019 over the same period.
Dato’ Iskandar Mizal Mahmood, Managing Director of Malaysia Airports, shared, “Our network of airports is progressing in line with the gradual global and regional traffic recovery. For instance, our airports in Malaysia reported 38.9 million passengers in the first half of 2023. International traffic has started to pick up, aided by positive developments, while the domestic sector continues to drive the recovery momentum.”
The recommencement of operations by 45 airlines and the initiation of two new airlines, T’way Air and TransNusa, has helped raise the total airlines seat capacity recovery to 75% at 50.5 million in 1H23, compared to 67.3 million in 1H19. Moreover, the total average load factor for 1H23 exceeded that of 1H19 by 1.2 percentage points, registering at 76.1%. A higher average load factor was noted each month during the first half of 2023, except for the month of Ramadhan, painting a positive picture for future growth in seat capacity and traffic recovery.
In June 2023, operations in Malaysia recorded close to 7 million passenger movements, a 2% increase from the previous month. International passenger movements in Malaysia also saw an encouraging increase, recording more than 3 million passengers for the first time, a 7% increase compared to May 2023. With consistent domestic passenger movements exceeding 3 million since December 2022, Malaysia’s performance continues to contribute nearly 70% of the Group’s total global passenger movements.
Meanwhile, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) in Türkiye reached a noteworthy milestone in June 2023. The airport recorded its highest total passenger movements since March 2020, with 3.3 million passengers. Remarkably, SAW has fully restored to its 2019 pre-pandemic levels, registering growth of 4.4% in June and 1.5% for 1H2023 respectively. June 2023 saw SAW record a new high for International passenger movements with 1.7 million passengers, while domestic passenger movements registered 1.6 million passengers.
These results indicate a consistent recovery trajectory for Malaysia Airports Group, fueling optimism for a strong rebound in the aviation industry, as the world continues to adapt and respond to the evolving pandemic situation.
