What’s On The Horizon For: Malaysia Airports

Malaysia Airports, one of the world’s largest airport operators by passenger volume, is targeting continued network growth in 2025 after recording more than 135 million passenger movements across its portfolio in 2024—reaching 96.1% of 2019 levels.

The group, which manages 39 airports in Malaysia and Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) in Turkey, said international traffic climbed to 49.6 million passengers last year, or 93.1% of pre-pandemic figures.

Following its co-hosting of Routes Asia 2024 in Langkawi, Malaysia Airports used the event to spotlight the island’s tourism appeal and growing potential for air service development. The group says its long-term strategy aligns with goals to strengthen connectivity, sustainability, and stakeholder value.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL), the country’s primary international gateway, led much of the recovery, with passenger traffic rising 20.9% year-on-year to over 57.1 million. In 2024, Malaysia Airports met its goal of welcoming 12 new airlines—11 of which launched services at KUL—including Air Macau, Iraqi Airways, Turkmenistan Airlines, Cambodia Airways, Qingdao Airlines, Loong Air, AirAsia Cambodia, and Air India.

New destinations added to the network included Iraqi Airlines resumed weekly service from KUL to Baghdad International Airport (BGW); Turkmenistan Airlines 2X-weekly service from Ashgabat; Loong Air 3X-weekly flights from Hangzhou International Airport (HGH); and China Eastern Airlines connecting to Nanjing Lukou International Airport (NKG).

AirAsia also expanded its footprint at KUL in 2024, introducing new routes to Jaipur, India; Labuan Bajo, Indonesia; Chiang Rai, Thailand; and Nairobi, Kenya. AirAsia X marked the one-year anniversary of its Kuala Lumpur–Almaty route by increasing frequencies to 5X-weekly flights in April 2025.

Looking ahead, Malaysia Airports senior general manager Megat Ardian Wira Mohd Aminuddin told Routes the goal of onboarding at least 12 more airlines in 2025 remains the minimum baseline. That momentum is already underway with British Airways resuming service from London Heathrow to KUL in April 2025 after a five-year hiatus.

Aminuddin added that Australian and European carriers remain key targets to further diversify the destination portfolio and improve options on existing routes. “We’ve had good discussions with them during the event, which have been very positive,” he said.

Alongside its route success, KUL was named the Large Airport of the Year 2024 at CAPA Airline Leader Summit & Awards for Excellence. The global award recognizes airports handling over 30 million passengers annually that demonstrate exceptional strategic leadership and significant contributions to the aviation industry.

Malaysia Airports continues to leverage partnerships with airlines and tourism authorities, and uses its Routes 360 membership as part of its online marketing strategy to enhance visibility and strengthen airline engagement.