Malaysia attracts five new international Airlines in first two months of 2024

Thursday, February 29, 2024

In January and February 2024, Malaysia welcomed five new international airlines, marking a promising start to the year. The addition of these airlines enhances connectivity at KL International Airport (KUL), solidifying its role as a regional hub. Among the newcomers are Air Macau (NX), offering four weekly flights from Macau (MFM); Loong Air (GJ), with thrice-weekly service from Hangzhou (HGH); Turkmenistan Airlines (T5), providing flights twice a week from Ashgabat (ASB); and Iraqi Airways (IA), resuming its weekly route to Baghdad (BGW). Additionally, flydubai (FZ) now operates daily flights from Dubai (DXB) to Penang International Airport (PEN) and Langkawi International Airport (LGK).

Mohamed Rastam Shahrom, Acting Group Chief Executive Officer, stated that Malaysia Airports has observed a significant increase in air traffic due to proactive strategic route development initiatives implemented post-pandemic.

“By hosting Routes Asia again this year, we aim to entice new airlines to start operations into Malaysia, and encourage others to introduce new routes or return to the country.”

Taking place in Langkawi at the end of February, Routes Asia is a platform for fostering collaboration and exploring new opportunities within the Asia-Pacific region.

“Over the course of this year and the next, we have identified 17 potential airlines from seven distinct regions to operate in Malaysia,” added Mohamed.

In January 2024, Malaysia Airports’ local airport network saw a total of 6.9 million passenger movements, reaching 83% of the levels seen in 2019. Of these, international traffic accounted for 3.8 million passenger movements, while the domestic sector recorded 3.1 million passenger movements. The growth in international traffic was fueled in part by initiatives such as the 30-day visa-free entry for Chinese visitors to Malaysia and the 15-day visa-free policy for Malaysians visiting China, along with an increase of 25 weekly flights by partner airlines. Additionally, the introduction of new airlines contributed to this growth, with China Eastern Airlines (MU) initiating four-weekly flights from Beijing (PKX), and Etihad Airways doubling its service frequency from daily to twice daily. Firefly also introduced charter flights from Tawau to Nanjing with three weekly flights. By the end of January, the domestic sector experienced an increase in the average load factor, surpassing 80%, driven by heightened travel activity during the Chinese New Year festivities coinciding with school holidays.

In January 2024, local airports significantly influenced the Group’s performance, contributing to 69% of the total passenger movements, totaling 10.1 million passengers. At Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) in Turkey, passenger movements remained robust, surpassing 3 million passengers at 3.2 million, marking a 14.2% increase over 2019 levels. International and domestic passenger movements comprised 1.7 million and 1.5 million passengers, respectively. Pegasus inaugurated a new international route to Zagreb, Croatia, marking SAW’s first connection to the Croatian capital with bi-weekly flights.

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