Passenger numbers up for Malaysia Airports in 3Q

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Group registered total passenger movements of 40.6 million passengers in the third quarter of this year (3Q25), including at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (ISGIA).

The 3Q25 saw 12.2% growth compared with 36.2 million passengers recorded in the same period last year, said the airport operator in a statement yesterday.

For the group’s Malaysian operations, total passenger movements rose by 8.1% to 26.9 million in the 3Q25 compared with 24.9 million in the 3Q24.

“As the country’s main gateway, KL International Airport handled 16.3 million passengers in 3Q25, an increase of 1.2 million or 7.75% year-on-year (y-o-y),” it said.

Malaysia Airports managing director Datuk Mohd Izani Ghani said eight new airlines commenced operations in Malaysia this year, further strengthening the nation’s global air connectivity.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to support Visit Malaysia 2026, we continue to expand new routes and forge airline partnerships across key markets in Asean, South Asia, North-east Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the South-west Pacific.

“These efforts reaffirm our commitment to positioning Malaysia as the regional aviation hub of choice, connecting more people and destinations while continuously enhancing the passenger experience and operational excellence,” Mohd Izani said.

For 3Q25, two new airlines began operations in Malaysia – Jiangxi Air with its Nanchang-Kuala Lumpur route and Hong Kong Express operating the Hong Kong-Subang service.

This brings the total number of carriers operating at its facilities to 75, said the airport operator.

In the same period, 12 new routes were introduced, including China Eastern Airlines’ Taiyuan-Wuhan-Kuala Lumpur connection.

Meanwhile, ISGIA maintained a strong growth trajectory, recording 13.7 million passenger movements in 3Q25, a 21.2% y-o-y increase from 11.3 million in the same period last year.

The growth was driven primarily by international traffic, which rose 26.1% to 7.4 million passengers from 5.9 million, underscoring the airport’s position as a key international transit hub and preferred gateway for regional connectivity, said Malaysia Airports. — Bernama