MAHB: Passenger traffic growth to ease to 6.3% this year

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is is expecting overall passenger traffic volume to recede to 6.3% in 2018 from 8.5% in 2017.

Passenger traffic volume for international routes is expected to grow by 8.3%, which is slower than the 8.5% registered last year, while domestic routes growth could moderate to 4.3% from 6.5%.

MAHB managing director Datuk Badlisham Ghazali told reporters at a media briefing earlier today, that international traffic is expected to grow more than domestic traffic due to expansion of flight routes and as carriers receive their new aircraft.

Meanwhile, growth momentum for domestic routes will ease due to the introduction of direct international flights from Penang, Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu, which will reduce the traffic between the aforesaid points and KLIA or Klia 2 as passengers will no longer have to fly to Kuala Lumpur to board their international flights.

Meanwhile, MAHB has budgeted a total of RM52.6 million for the upgrade of six airports. However, it is not known how much the upgrading work for all airports would cost.

On the international front, MAHB is still on the lookout for a strategic partner for its Istanbul Sabiha Gockchen International Airport.