Kuala lumpur: KL International Airport (KLIA) and Penang International Airport (PEN) strengthened Malaysia’s position as a global aviation hub with the addition of five new international air services in June 2025. Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) said in a statement that two of the new services were introduced by new airline partners, enhancing cross-border connectivity and regional access.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Cambodia Airways launched a twice-weekly service between Phnom Penh and PEN, while Juneyao Air began operating four weekly flights from Shanghai to KLIA, boosting travel options for passengers from China and the wider East Asia region. In addition, three new routes were introduced by existing airline partners, reflecting continued confidence in Malaysia’s aviation market.
Batik Air Malaysia commenced a twice-weekly service between KLIA and Dili, Timor-Leste; AirAsia Cambodia introduced a thrice-weekly route connecting KLIA to Sihanoukville; and AirAsia began operating four weekly flights between KLIA and Darwin, Australia, as stated by MAHB. In June, MAHB, including its asset in Turkiye, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (ISG), handled a total of 12.7 million passenger movements.
Of this, local airports in Malaysia contributed 68 percent or 8.5 million passenger movements, comprising 4.2 million international and 4.3 million domestic travelers. ISG recorded 4.1 million total passenger movements, comprising 2.2 million international and 1.9 million domestic in June. Meanwhile, on the local front, MAHB said Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB) posted notable month-on-month growth in June, with passenger movements rising 9 percent from 138,000 in May to 151,000.
The airport operator noted that international traffic at SZB grew by over 10 percent to 40,000 passengers, while domestic movements climbed nearly 9 percent to 111,000. MAHB attributed this upward trend to strong average load factors of over 70 percent on key regional routes operated by Firefly Airlines to Seletar, Scoot to Changi, and TransNusa Airlines to Jakarta. The increased domestic travel was also spurred by the harvest festival in Sabah and Sarawak, as well as Hari Raya Haji celebrations coinciding with school holidays.