KUALA LUMPUR: More international airline have resumed operations at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, according to its operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd.
MAHB attributed the increasing confidence in air travel to effective Covid-19 safety measures at KLIA.
The company said in early October, British Airways had started offering four flights a week from KLIA to the UK and beyond, Oman Air providing twice weekly flights to Muscat, and Ethiopian Airlines offering a weekly flight to Addis Ababa.
"Airports in Malaysia continue to see gradual monthly increases in both passenger and traffic movements. In September 2020, passenger traffic movements rose by 19 per cent from August to 1.7 million, while aircraft movements increased by 9.8 pet cent to 27,010," MAHB said today.
The company's operations at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport continue to see close to two million passengers last month with five international airlines operating to date.
This led to the company registering a total of 3.5 million passenger traffic movements in September, MAHB noted.
It said a freighter airline, Pos Asia Cargo Express, had recently introduced a new route from KLIA to Sibu Airport that operates six times a week using a B737-400F aircraft.
"Throughout the year, air cargo operations in Malaysia has remained relatively stable. Despite the significant drop in passenger aircraft movements, cargo movements has shown resilience."
MAHB added that data from January to August 2020 showed that cargo operations in Malaysia had averaged about 65,000 tonnes a month compared to about 76,000 tonnes a month in 2019.
"KLIA has maintained the same number of freighter airlines operating from the airport since 2019," MAHB group chief executive officer Datouk Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh said.
"There are 21 freighter airlines in KLIA (including charters). Although there was an initial dip in air cargo tonnage in March and April due to a reduction in belly cargo capacity, this capacity crunch was immediately taken up by full freighter airlines. This proves that KLIA remains an attractive regional hub for aviation," he added.
Mohd Shukries said the upcoming operationalisation of the e-fulfillment hub at KLIA Aeropolis, a joint venture between Malaysia Airports and Alibaba group's logistics unit, Cainiao, would further cement KLIA's position as a regional distribution hub.