PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s aviation sector is on track for full recovery, with monthly passenger traffic reaching 9.3 million in July 2025, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) said today.
This represents a 3.9% month-on-month (MoM) increase from June and a 5.3% year-on-year (YoY) rise compared to July 2024. The figure now stands at 96.8% of July 2019’s pre-Covid pandemic level of 9.6 million passengers, highlighting a promising recovery trend in both domestic and international air travel.
From January to July 2025, the sector reported a total of 61.2 million passengers, moving steadily towards the forecast of 105.8 to 112.9 million passengers for the entire year.
In a statement CAAM said that international passenger traffic in Malaysia continues to outpace domestic demand, reflecting Malaysia’s growing appeal as a global travel destination.
In July, international passenger traffic increased by 9.6% MoM and 3.4% YoY, reaching 4.7 million passengers, nearly matching pre-pandemic figures at 98.7% of July 2019 levels.
Several factors are contributing to this growth. These include an expansion of seat capacity on both domestic and international routes, the implementation of 30-day visa exemptions for tourists from key markets such as China and India, and the introduction of new international flight routes. Some notable new connections include direct flights from Kota Kinabalu to Daegu in South Korea, Subang to Bangkok in Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur to Palembang in Indonesia.
In terms of passenger distribution by region, flights between Malaysia and Asean countries transported 2.2 million passengers. Meanwhile, routes between Malaysia and non-Asean countries saw a significant increase, with a 13.3% rise MoM and a 9.6% increase YoY, bringing the total to 2.5 million passengers.
CAAM said domestic passenger traffic experienced a slight decline of 1.3% MoM, primarily due to national public holidays and school holidays occurring in June as compared to July. Despite this decrease, the number of domestic passengers still reached 4.6 million, representing a 7.4% increase YoY and is at 94.8% of July 2019 levels.
Major airports across Malaysia have reported positive YoY growth figures for July 2025. KL International Airport Terminal 1 and 2 experienced a growth rate of 4.4%. Senai International Airport recorded the highest growth at 9.7%, while Kota Kinabalu International Airport and Langkawi International Airport reported growth rates of 7.2% and 6.6%, respectively.
Additionally, Penang International Airport recorded a growth rate of 4.0%, while Kuching International Airport saw an increase of 0.2%.In addition to passenger traffic, Malaysia’s air cargo movements showed a rebound in July, rising by 11.4% from 83.5 million kg in June 2025. However, YoY cargo movements experienced a slight decline of 2.8%, totaling 93 million kg, down from 95.7 million kg in July 2024. This decline is attributed to the normalisation of shipment patterns, as tariff-driven frontloading in April and May tapered off in June and July.
In Q2’25, CAAM said. Malaysia’s air passenger traffic showed a continued upward trend, increasing by 10.5% YoY to 26.5 million passengers, up from 24.0 million in the same quarter last year. This represents a 4.4% growth compared to the previous quarter, bringing overall passenger volumes to 99.3% of the pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019.
International passenger movements reached 12.9 million, representing a 6.5% YoY increase. However, there was a slight decline of 2.3% compared to the previous quarter, achieving 98.9% of the levels seen in 2019. Domestic travel showed strong growth, with a 14.7% YoY increase and an 11.8% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) increase to 13.7 million passengers, reaching 99.6% of pre-pandemic levels.
Total cargo movements increased by 4.4% YoY to 272.9 million kg, supported by a 3.8% increase in international cargo, which totalled to 202.9 million kg. In contrast, domestic cargo declined by 1.2%, reaching 60.8 million kg. On a QoQ basis, overall cargo volumes decreased by 1.2% compared to 1Q25, with domestic cargo movements falling by 8.3%, while international cargo recorded a slight decrease of 0.7%.
CAAM CEO Datuk Captain Norazman Mahmud, emphasised the resilience of the aviation sector. He stated, “Malaysia’s aviation industry is on a clear path to full recovery in 2025, driven by strong international demand, strategic connectivity, and government initiatives that enhance travel convenience. This positive trajectory is further reinforced by the recent rationalisation of the Malaysian Aviation Commission’s economic functions under CAAM, creating a more unified and robust civil aviation regulatory framework for the nation. Together, these developments underscore our commitment to sustaining growth and resilience within Malaysia’s aviation sector while upholding global best practices, regulatory excellence, and fostering innovation through strategic collaboration.”
