Kuala lumpur: Passenger movements across Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd's (MAHB) global network reached 153.3 million in 2025, reflecting a positive momentum as Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) gets underway.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, MAHB stated that its 39 local airports handled 104.4 million passengers, marking an 11.2 percent year-on-year increase. December 2025 emerged as the most demanding operational month, with 10 million passengers handled nationwide, a 15.5 percent rise from the previous year. This month was marked by an intense festive peak between Christmas and New Year, with more than one million passengers processed over a three-day period.
Datuk Mohd Izani Ghani, Managing Director of MAHB, highlighted that the performance demonstrated the strength and readiness of airport network operations. He emphasized that managing over one million passengers during a concentrated three-day festive period showcased the effectiveness of operational planning, coordination with airline partners, and the dedication of frontline teams nationwide.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) led the December passenger count, handling 6.1 million passengers and bringing its full-year total to 63.3 million, a 10.8 percent increase year-on-year. Subang Airport (SZB) exhibited the strongest month-on-month growth, with passenger numbers increasing by 34.4 percent to 191,000. Kota Kinabalu International Airport saw a passenger growth of 23.5 percent to 802,000, while Langkawi International Airport (LGK) recorded a 23.0 percent increase to 290,000. Penang International Airport (PEN) and Kuching International Airport (KCH) also reported rises of 12.2 percent and 10.3 percent, respectively.
New services launched in December 2025 further enhanced connectivity at KLIA. This included Xiamen Airlines' thrice-weekly Hangzhou-Kuala Lumpur service at Terminal 2, 9 Air's three weekly flights from Hangzhou, and Hainan Airlines' twice-weekly Qionghai-Kuala Lumpur route. Batik Air Malaysia introduced six new routes, including destinations like Osaka (Kansai) and Singapore, as well as Kuala Namu and Jakarta (CGK). Additional services were launched by Firefly with five weekly flights to Cebu, and Sichuan Airlines with three weekly services between Chongqing and Kuala Lumpur.
MAHB's asset, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Turkiye, handled 49.0 million passengers in 2025, a 17.5 percent increase year-on-year, with 4.2 million passengers recorded in December alone.
MAHB remains focused on strengthening service resilience, enhancing capacity readiness, and advancing partnership-led growth across its airport network, as travel demand continues under VM2026.