Malaysian airports see 9.3pct jump in international traffic

KUALA LUMPUR observed a 9.3% increase in international air traffic in July, reaching 4.5 million movements, according to Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd. The rise was attributed to the summer travel season in Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. The airports introduced two new services, AirBorneo's flights between Kuching and Kuala Lumpur, and Riyadh Air's flights between Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur.

The local network processed eight million passenger movements, a 4.6% increase from June 2026. However, domestic traffic declined by 1.0% from June and 19.8% compared to July 2025 due to airlines optimizing capacity. Overall, passenger movements across Malaysian airports were 11% lower year-on-year. For the first seven months of 2026, MAHB handled 59 million passengers, similar to the same period in 2025.

International traffic grew 6.1% year-on-year, while domestic traffic decreased by 6.7%. KLIA handled 36.7 million passengers year-to-date, 3.4% higher than 2025. MAHB's managing director Datuk Mohd Izani Ghani emphasized the importance of international traffic as a counterbalance to domestic traffic fluctuations. The airport network also continued to improve the passenger experience and expand connectivity with new airline services.

KBR's international traffic rose 54.1% in July, following the introduction of the Kota Bharu–Jakarta service in June.