KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) has lowered its passenger traffic target for 2024 down to a maximum of 97.6 million passengers for the year amid fluctuating fuel prices and global supply chain challenges.
In its 15th bi-annual Waypoint report, the commission said it has raised its baseline and lowered its topline passenger traffic targets to between 95.4 million and 97.6 million passengers for the full year of 2024, from previously targeting a topline of 107.1 million passengers and a low of 93.9 million.
The projection reflects between 12.2 per cent and 14.9 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth and a recovery of up to 89 per cent of pre-pandemic air passenger traffic levels in 2019.
Mavcom executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim, Executive Chairman of MAVCOM, said the growth in Malaysia's aviation sector in 1H24 indicated the robustness of the sector.
"Strategic tourism initiatives such as visa-free travel for visitors from India and China will continue to boost international air traffic and tourism. This increase highlights the importance of international connectivity, which has been pivotal in driving the overall recovery of air travel."
"The sector has reached 72.3 million passengers by September 2024, a significant milestone demonstrating the effectiveness of efforts to restore international routes and boost travel demand," he said in a statement.
The air cargo sector has also demonstrated significant growth, with cargo volume measured in freight tonne lilometres (FTK) increasing by 14.3 per cent YoY to 5.2 billion FTK in the second quarter of 2024 (2Q24).
The growth was driven by increased e-commerce shipments and the impact of the Red Sea shipping crisis.
As a result, Mavcom has revised its air cargo traffic forecast for 2024 upwards, now projecting growth of between 10.0 per cent and 12.5 per cent YoY, translating to between 20.8 billion and 21.2 billion FTK.
The report also highlights that KL International Airport (KLIA) improved its air connectivity ranking in Asean from the fourth place in 2022 to the third place 1H24, with its connectivity score rising from 47.5 in 2022 to 64.7 in 1H24.
During the first half of 2024, Mavcom granted a total of 156 additional Air Traffic Rights (ATRs), with 20 allocated for domestic routes and 136 for international destinations.
Leading the charge in securing international ATRs was Malindo Airways Sdn. Bhd. (Batik Air), which was awarded 41 ATRs, followed by AirAsia Bhd (AirAsia) with 38 ATRs, and Malaysia Airlines Bhd (Malaysia Airlines) with 28 ATRs.International routes to China received the largest share of approvals, with 48 ATRs granted while Asean were awarded 36 ATRs for flights within the region.