KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — Malaysia’s total air passenger traffic reached 46.6 million in the first half of 2024 (1H 2024), marking a 15.3 per cent increase year-on-year (y-o-y) from the 40.4 million recorded during the same period in 2023.

Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) said the international air passenger traffic was particularly strong, standing at 24.0 million, up by 35.9 per cent from 17.6 million in 1H 2023.

“However, domestic passenger traffic decreased marginally by 0.7 per cent y-o-y to 22.6 million passengers from 22.8 million in the same period last year,” it said in a statement today.

The aviation commission said international traffic also held a higher share than domestic traffic in 1H, accounting for 51.4 per cent of the traffic compared to 48.6 per cent for domestic traffic.

“This trend aligns with the pre-pandemic norm, where international passenger traffic typically exceeded domestic passenger traffic.

“Airlines have been actively restoring international routes and frequencies, responding to the shift in consumer travel preferences towards international destinations as the global tourism industry recovers from pandemic restrictions,” it said.

Mavcom said air traffic in June 2024 saw a significant uptick with passenger numbers climbing to 8.1 million, a 12.1 per cent y-o-y increase from June 2023 and a 2.3 per cent month-on-month (m-o-m) increase from May 2024.

“This increase is attributed to several public holidays driving domestic travel, with domestic passenger traffic rising by 4.2 per cent m-o-m, from 3.9 million in May to 4.1 million in June 2024,” it said.

It said Asean passenger traffic showed the highest recovery rate, with 2.2 million passengers in June 2024, achieving a recovery rate of 93.3 per cent.

Meanwhile, Mavcom said air cargo traffic in the second quarter of 2024 (2Q 2024) increased by 5.5 per cent y-o-y to 241,895 tonnes from 229,195 tonnes in 2Q 2023, driven by a surge in international cargo movements.

“This increase is attributed to disruptions in the Red Sea, which led businesses to opt for air cargo for faster and reliable deliveries,” it said.

However, Mavcom noted that domestic cargo movement experienced a contrasting trend, with a decline of 20.3 per cent y-o-y, falling from 73,035 tonnes in 2Q 2023 to 58,176 tonnes in 2Q 2024.

“Overall, 2Q 2024 air cargo movement stood at 102.9 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, with domestic and international cargo movements at 119.8 per cent and 98.5 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, respectively,” it added. — Bernama