KUALA LUMPUR: Subang, Ipoh and Penang airports recorded year-on-year growth in international passenger traffic in September 2026, despite a decline in overall passenger movements across Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd's (MAHB) domestic network.
The group's Malaysian airports handled 7.8 million passengers during the month, down about 12 per cent from September 2025.
International traffic fell 2.2 per cent to 4.3 million passengers, while domestic traffic declined 21.8 per cent to 3.4 million.
Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang recorded a 24.1 per cent increase in international passenger movements to 59,000, while Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Ipoh registered a 16.6 per cent rise to 31,000.
Penang International Airport also saw international traffic grow 5.3 per cent to 348,000 passengers, accounting for about 57 per cent of its total passenger movements for the month.
Meanwhile, Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Kota Bharu handled 5,000 international passengers following the introduction of new international services in June.
Its expanded terminal, which opened in April, increased the airport's annual passenger handling capacity from 1.5 million to four million.
At Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), passenger movements stood at about 4.9 million in September.
The airport expanded its international connectivity during the month, with Sun PhuQuoc Airways commencing flights to Phu Quoc on Sept 1, followed by Gulf Air's introduction of direct services from Bahrain on Sept 30.
Gulf Air became the tenth Middle Eastern carrier serving KLIA.
For the first nine months of 2026, MAHB's Malaysian airport network handled 75.2 million passengers, down 2.4 per cent year-on-year.
However, international passenger traffic grew 4.5 per cent to 41.3 million, reflecting continued demand for international travel.
Malaysia Airports managing director Datuk Mohd Izani Ghani said regional airports played an important role in expanding the country's international connectivity.
"We want to build on this momentum by working closely with airlines and tourism stakeholders to develop routes that create more travel opportunities and support the country's tourism ambitions," he said.
At KLIA, passenger satisfaction stood at 98.8 per cent at Terminal 1 and 99.4 per cent at Terminal 2 in September.
Passenger processing also remained efficient, with virtually all security screening queues at both terminals cleared within 10 minutes.
The Aerotrain met its prescribed service standards throughout the month.
Meanwhile, Istanbul Sabiha Gokçen International Airport handled 4.9 million passengers in September, up 8.5 per cent from a year earlier.
This brought total passenger movements across MAHB's airport network to 113.9 million in the first nine months of 2026, an increase of 0.7 per cent year-on-year.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd