Airport News
Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) has reported a ‘vibrant’ growth rate of 13% in March, despite a decline in the last 10 days after the recent MH370 flight incident.
The figure brings the first three months’ total growth in 2014 to 18% compared with the same period in 2013, while a single quarter record of 20.6 million passengers passed through MAHB’s 39 airports in Malaysia.
MAHB says there was broad-based growth in both domestic and international travel, across both Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and other airports too.
International passengers grew 15% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2014, while domestic traffic grew by 22%.
Travellers at KLIA-Main Terminal Building grew by 19% year-on-year in the first quarter to 6.5 million passengers, and rose at the low-cost carrier terminal by 13% to 5.8 million passengers.
MAHB says in a statement: “Due to the current uncertainties surrounding the MH370 event, MAHB remains cautious as to the passenger traffic developments.
“There was some decline in the growth rates towards the last 10 days of March, but the overall positive growth momentum remained.
“From our analysis of similar, serious incidents in the last 10 years involving commercial aircraft, there was no major impact on international passenger traffic in those airports involved that could be attributed to such incidences.
“The exception was the September 11 2001 incident, which caused a two-year dent in passenger traffic in the US due mainly to the fear caused in passengers, but which turned positive again from 2004 onwards.”
