KUALA LUMPUR: Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, or better known as Subang Airport, recorded a significant 25 per cent increase in international passenger traffic in August 2024, following the re-introduction of jet operations after a long hiatus.
In a statement today, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) said the airport welcomed 21,096 international passengers, up from 16,900 the previous month.
Currently, Subang Airport is served by five airlines—three local and two international.
Firefly Airlines, Scoot, and Transnusa operate international flights to Singapore and Jakarta, while AirAsia and Batik Air provide domestic connections to Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, and Penang, among other destinations.
MAHB said the airport's domestic traffic had a total of 83,904 passengers, contributing to an overall passenger count of 105,000, representing a 1.3 per cent growth compared to the previous month.
Across its local network of airports, Malaysia Airports surpassed 8 million monthly passenger movements for the second consecutive month, reaching 8.4 million passengers.
This figure includes 4.4 million international passengers and 4.0 million domestic passengers.
"Kota Kinabalu International Airport saw a 7 per cent increase in international traffic, fuelled by AirAsia's new route to Ningbo and additional three-weekly flights to Denpasar.
"The growth was largely driven by key international markets, with Indonesia, China, and India leading the way," it added.
In Türkiye, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport recorded 3.9 million passengers in August 2024.
This included 2.1 million international passengers, buoyed by new routes from Pegasus and Ajet Airlines, which introduced weekly flights to Tuzla and five weekly flights to Cairo.
Meanwhile, the airport's domestic traffic also remained strong, reaching 1.9 million passengers.
Overall, the Malaysia Airports Group achieved 12.3 million passenger movements in August 2024, maintaining a robust performance with over 12 million passengers for the second consecutive month.
"This represents a 96.1 per cent recovery compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. The sustained growth is attributed to various factors, including late-season summer travel, the launch of new airlines and routes, increased flight frequencies, and the resumption of jet operations at Subang Airport," it said.