What’s On The Horizon For: Malaysia Airports

As one of the world’s largest airport operators by passenger volume, Malaysia Airports manages 39 airports across Malaysia and one international airport in Turkey. Its growth strategy aligns with its vision to champion connectivity and sustainability while delivering value to stakeholders.

After co-hosting Routes Asia 2024 in Langkawi, Malaysia Airports highlighted the island’s natural beauty and vibrant culture to the route development community amid growing tourism and business demand.

In 2023, Malaysia Airports welcomed more than 120 million passengers, an 84.6% recovery of 2019 levels. This year, it achieved a new milestone in May, reaching over 11.2 million passengers across its airports—a 5.1% increase over the same month in 2019. The group has seen significant route expansion over the past year, adding new airline partners and destinations to its portfolio.

As Malaysia’s main international gateway, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) serves 70 airlines, with more carriers resuming and expanding services over the coming months, including British Airways (BA), 9 Air, and VietJet Air. BA will resume its Kuala Lumpur-Singapore-London route with daily flights starting in April 2025.

In September, Air India reinstated direct flights from New Delhi to Kuala Lumpur, strengthening a key market for Malaysia Airports, said Megat Ardian Wira Mohd Aminuddin, senior general manager, during Routes World 2024.

To sustain growth, Aminuddin said Malaysia Airports is targeting air network expansion in China, Southeast Asia, India, and Europe. Within the Asia-Pacific region, the group aims to attract flag carriers from Australia and New Zealand to launch new routes and expand existing services.

Regarding European routes, he added: “There is a lack of connectivity and direct flights into Kuala Lumpur from this market, so that’s where we plan to build growth moving forward.”

Enhancing passenger experience and supporting airline partners are key priorities. With plans to boost efficiency and digitalization and through its Airline X-celeration Program, which offers incentives like landing fee waivers, marketing support, and office rental rebates, Malaysia Airports aims to attract 15 more foreign carriers to its airports in the next two years.