KOTA KINABALU: The Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) registered 1.4 million passengers for international passenger traffic in the first nine months of this year.
Malaysia Airports (MAB) managing director Datuk Badlisham Ghazali said the number showed an increase of 29 per cent compared to same period last year.
"Kota Kinabalu is the most mentioned (among passengers) when talking about destinations.
"The impressive growth was helped by a strong performance from a wide range of airlines including AirAsia Group, Korean Jin Air and 16 other airlines operating at KKIA," he said, adding that AirAsia had also experienced a significant growth of 16 per cent in international traffic since it moved operation to KKIA last Dec.
He was speaking at a press conference here after briefing state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun on MAB's plans.
KKIA is capable of handling 9 million passengers per annum and presently stands at 7 million, handling an average of 180 flights daily with about 18,000 passengers per day.
Badlisham also announced that MAB will allocate RM10 million to improve the efficiency of KKIA.
The allocation for the upgrading works at the airport will shorten time spent on luggage screening, at immigration counters and boarding.
"We need to have better flow at the airports as volume is expected to rise with more airlines coming in.
"It is expected to complete by 2017 in stages to ensure minimal disruption to daily operations," he said, adding that the current airport could also provide additional parking bays for new airlines without having to undergo major construction.
Meanwhile, Masidi said the meeting allowed the state government and MAB to work together in boosting the tourism industry in Sabah.