KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 (Xinhua) — Malaysia’s air passenger traffic rose 0.8 percent to 8 million in May from 7.9 million passengers in April, official data showed Wednesday.
The Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) said in a statement that a year-on-year comparison also showed a significant 12.2 percent rise from 7.1 million passengers in May 2023.
The growth was primarily driven by increased international travel, with both ASEAN and non-ASEAN regions contributing to the increase, despite a slight decrease in domestic traffic from the previous month.
Notably, non-ASEAN air passenger traffic climbed 2.9 percent month on month to 2 million in 2024.
Overall international traffic saw a 2.2 percent month-on-month growth.
For the first five months of 2024, cumulative air passenger traffic stood at 38.5 million, a 16 percent year-on-year increase from 33.2 million during the same period in 2023.
International air passenger traffic surged to 19.9 million, marking a 38.3 percent increase from 14.4 million in the first five months of 2023.
This surge underscores the aviation industry’s robust recovery and the restoration of international routes and frequencies.
Conversely, domestic passenger traffic slightly declined by 1.1 percent year on year to 18.6 million, down from 18.8 million in the same period last year.
According to MAVCOM, the May 2024 traffic figures demonstrate the resilience and ongoing recovery of the aviation sector, particularly in international traffic, which is a positive indicator of global travel and tourism health.
“With the restoration of more international routes and increased flight frequencies, we anticipate this trend to continue,” it said.