In a statement today, the airport operator said this was the second consecutive month in which total traffic hit the six million mark and that it represented a 75% recovery against pre-pandemic levels.

It said international traffic fared well with 2.8 million passenger movements recorded, similar to levels seen in December 2022.

This 62.5% recovery against 2019 levels was mainly driven by China’s reopening of international borders early last month, it added.

The balance of 3.5 million passenger movements were made up of domestic traffic passenger movements, contributed by the festive season and additional flight offerings by MYAirline and AirAsia.

MAHB managing director Iskandar Mizal Mahmood said the group continues to be optimistic on the recovery of both local and global air travel.

He said the group’s traffic performance has been very positive in the last several months.

“January’s total passenger traffic movements stood at nine million, representing an 81.3% recovery against 2019, with operations in Malaysia contributing close to 70% of the group’s total.

“These positive developments were made possible with the continuous resumption of airline operations and flight routes, as well as the introduction of new destinations,” he said.

Meanwhile, Iskandar said the Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Turkey recorded 2.8 million passenger movements in January, a 3.6% growth over December 2022, with international and domestic passenger movements registering 1.5 million and 1.4 million passengers respectively.