KUALA LUMPUR: Passenger movements across Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd's (MAHB) global airport network hit 153.4 million last year.
Across its Malaysia network of 39 airports, a total of 104.4 million passengers were handled last year, marking an 11.2 per cent increase year-on-year (YoY), reflecting strong travel momentum ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026.
Some 10 million passengers were recorded in December across airports nationwide, a 15.5 per cent increase compared to the same period the previous year.
MAHB managing director Datuk Mohd Izani Ghani said the performance reflected the strength and readiness of airport operations across the network.
"Managing more than one million passengers over a concentrated three-day festive period reflects the effectiveness of operational planning, close coordination with airline partners, and the dedication of our frontline teams nationwide," he said in a statement.
Passenger traffic growth in December was broad-based across key airports. Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) handled 6.1 million passengers, contributing to a full-year total of 63.3 million passengers, a 10.8 per cent increase YoY.
Subang Airport recorded the strongest month-on-month growth at 34.4 per cent, rising from 142,000 to 191,000 passengers. Kota Kinabalu grew 23.5 per cent to 802,000 passengers, Langkawi increased 23 per cent to 290,000, and Penang rose 12.2 per cent to 772,000, while Kuching recorded a 10.3 per cent increase to 540,000 passengers.
MAHB said new services launched in December 2025 further strengthened connectivity at KLIA. These 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 services, including routes to Osaka, Singapore (from Ipoh, Subang and Penang), Kuala Namu, and Jakarta.
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 Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in Türkiye handled 49 million passengers in 2025, a 17.5 per cent increase YoY. In December alone, the airport processed 4.2 million passengers.