Subang, Ipoh and Penang airports posted year-on-year growth in international passenger traffic in September 2026, even as passenger numbers across Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd’s domestic network slipped.
The group’s airports in Malaysia handled 7.7 million passengers during the month, a 12 per cent drop from September 2025, in figures published by NST. International traffic eased 2.2 per cent to 4.3 million passengers, while domestic movements fell 21.8 per cent to 3.4 million.
Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang recorded a 24.1 per cent rise in international passenger movements to 59,000. Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Ipoh handled 31,000 international passengers, up 16.6 per cent on the same month last year.
Penang International Airport lifted international traffic 5.3 per cent to 348,000 passengers, about 57 per cent of its total movements for the month, The Star reported.
Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Kota Baru handled 5,000 international passengers after new international services began in June. Its expanded terminal, opened in April, lifted annual capacity from 1.5 million passengers to four million.
KL International Airport handled about 4.9 million passengers in September. Sun PhuQuoc Airways started flights to Phu Quoc on 1 September, and Gulf Air began direct services from Bahrain on 30 September, making the carrier the 10th Middle Eastern airline at the main gateway.
Passenger movements are counted at arrivals and departures, so one traveller on a return trip is logged twice in the monthly total. September’s network figure therefore tracks the number of journeys handled, not the number of individual people passing through.
Across the first nine months of 2026, MAHB’s Malaysian airports processed 75.2 million passengers, down 2.4 per cent year-on-year. International traffic grew 4.5 per cent to 41.3 million over the same period.
Malaysia Airports managing director Datuk Mohd Izani Ghani said regional airports carry real weight in widening the country’s international links. “We want to build on this momentum by working closely with airlines and tourism stakeholders to develop routes that create more travel opportunities and support the country’s tourism ambitions,” he said.
Service measures at the main gateway held up in September, with passenger satisfaction at 98.8 per cent at Terminal 1 and 99.4 per cent at Terminal 2. Security screening at both terminals was generally completed within 10 minutes, and the Aerotrain met its prescribed service standards.
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport handled 4.9 million passengers in September, 8.5 per cent higher year-on-year. Total movements across MAHB’s global airport network reached 113.9 million in the first nine months of 2026, up 0.7 per cent.
