In a statement, the airport operator said the increment was due to the resumption of various flight routes during the month as travel demand in the region continues to rise.

Managing director Iskandar Mizal Mahmood said the active resumption of airline operations and routes at airports nationwide continues to give optimism on travel demand and he expected more new airlines to fly to Malaysia in the coming months.

“Indonesian low-cost carrier TransNusa Airlines has recently made its debut international flight to Kuala Lumpur from Jakarta this month, initially serving only domestic routes in Indonesia.

“TransNusa is the ninth airline with operations between Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, proving the route’s popularity and high demand,” he added.

MAHB said the international and domestic passenger movements in Malaysia continued to grow steadily in March, registering three million and 3.7 million passengers respectively.

Both sectors showed an increase in passenger movements by more than 10% each from the preceding month.

The March 2023 year-to-date total passenger movements in Malaysia were 18.7 million, a 125% increase from 8.3 million passengers during the same period in 2022.

On its asset in Turkey, MAHB said Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SGIA) recorded 2.8 million passengers in March, which was a 10% increase over the previous month.

Total international passenger movements registered 1.5 million, while domestic passenger movements recorded 1.3 million passengers respectively.