PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) reported a 415.6% jump in total passenger traffic to 8.7 million for the first quarter of 2022, compared to 1.7 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous year due to the low base effect.
The figures indicated that the aviation industry is on a gradual but steady recovery path, it said in a statement.
The commission reported passenger traffic was significantly driven by domestic travellers, accounting for 88.8% of total traffic in the first quarter.
As of May 2022, Malaysia’s year-to-date air passenger traffic stood at 16.3 million, signifying a 574.6% growth compared to the same period in 2021.
In addition, international air passenger traffic reached one million in May 2022, the first time since March 2020.
Mavcom executive chairman Saripuddin Kassim noted that following the easing of travel restrictions in Malaysia, the aviation industry has made further progress in its recovery from the pandemic as indicated by the increase in total passenger traffic in early 2022.
“With the country’s international borders having reopened since April 2022, we have continued to see an uptick driven by pent-up demand for travel,” he said in the statement.
“While we understand the public remains cautious in the face of global conflicts and existing economic uncertainties, the commission remains positive that the aviation sector will continue to recover in 2022 with the right measures in place.”
