Senai International Airport handled 3.52 million passengers last year, a 13% increase from the number of passengers recorded in 2017. Md Derick Basir, CEO of Senai Airport Terminal Services Sdn Bhd (SATSSB), the airport operator, said growth was mainly driven by domestic passengers with an increase of 234,650 passengers while international passenger traffic rose by 37% to 600,000 in 2018.
“Growth was fuelled by the southern region’s rigorous economic activities, escalating demand for business and corporate travel, as well as the leisure sector,” he said in a statement.
Commercial aircraft movement grew 8% with a total of 32,574 landings and takeoffs compared with 2017.
“The rise in total passenger traffic in 2018 was mainly attributed by the introduction of new routes including Seoul by Jin Air, Sanya and Haikou by Malindo Air, as well as Alor Star and Ipoh by AirAsia.
“In addition, the increase in flight frequencies to existing sectors such as Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Langkawi and Bangkok had also contributed to the growth,” he said.
Md Derick added that SATSSB had also collaborated with industry players including tourism bodies and airlines to promote Johor as a destination, ultimately to encourage the demand for more air connectivity.
“For 2019, Senai International Airport aims to handle 3.76 million passengers,” he added.