Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1 has introduced a new e-hailing pick-up experience with a dedicated waiting lounge, self-service booking kiosks, and live screens showing the passengers of the drivers’ arrivals. The new facilities are located on Level 1 of the Main Terminal Building. All authorised e-hailing vehicles entering the pick-up zone will have to pay an RM3 entry fee, and they will have a maximum of 10 minutes to pick up passengers

Capital A reported a mixed Q2 2026 for its non-aviation businesses, with seasonal weakness and the Middle East conflict weighing on parts of the portfolio, while logistics, digital travel and engineering operations continued to grow: Asia Digital Engineering (ADE) posted a 23% YoY increase in completed component maintenance workshop orders, but base maintenance checks dropped to 13, -32% YoY, due to longer turnaround times for heavy maintenance on ageing aircraft. Under line maintenance, ADE managed 129 AirAsia aircraft and 188 third-party flight transits Logistics unit Teleport carried 85,877 tonnes of cargo, +11% YoY, while parcel volumes increased to 56.5 million, +79% YoY Belly cargo on AirAsia's network increased by 5% YoY to 64,116 tonnes, dedicated freighter volumes increased by 89% YoY to 9,985 tonnes, and third-party cargo volumes increased 7% YoY to 11,776 tonnes Online travel platform AirAsia MOVE recorded monthly active users growing to 16.3 million, +22% YoY, supported by a 14% increase in app journey searches to 33 million Gross booking value on AirAsia MOVE increased to $1.3 billion USD and total platform transactions increased to 11.8 million, both by 8% YoY AirAsia MOVE expanded its FlyBeyond airline network, adding Air China, Shandong Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, TransNusa, VietJet, and IndiGo Brand licensing unit AirAsia Next signed a master brand licensing agreement to expand into healthcare, and is in the final stages of an agreement with a major hotel chain to launch AirAsia Hotels AirAsia Rewards active membership reached over 37.1 million, +3% YoY, with 12-month active members increasing to 6.2 million, +44% YoY Points redemption increased to 930.6 million points, +34% YoY, though points issuance dropped by 4% amid flight and capacity constraints due to geopolitical conflicts Fintech unit BigPay expanded its active user base to 1.7 million, +4% YoY, with average transactions per user increasing to 16.78, +16% YoY F&B business Santan recorded an 855% YoY surge in B2C e-commerce transactions to 23,409, driven by digital campaigns, but inflight transactions dropped by 17% YoY to 1.76 million following airline capacity adjustments and lower passenger volumes; its B2B segment maintained six active corporate clients

The Minister of Finance Inc has extended the contract for the Managing Director of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) for another 2 years until the end of Jul 2028. MAHB also has allocated RM11.5 billion in capital expenditure from 2026-2030, allowing him to carry out long-delayed upgrades. RM4.1 billion has been allocated to replace assets at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, including critical systems such as the baggage handling system (BHS), escalators, lifts and walkalators. RM1.4 billion will fund the expansion of the Penang International Airport (PIA), and around RM500 million has been allocated to the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA). For KLIA Aeropolis and MAHB’s other subsidiaries, RM500 million has been allocated. The remaining funds will be spent to upgrade airports across its network, including replacing ageing aerobridges. BHS upgrades in KLIA are 60% complete and on track for completion by the end of 2028, and KKIA expansion will increase its capacity from 9 million passengers to 12 million

Air Macau will extend the suspension of its Macau-Kuala Lumpur route for the northern winter 2026/2027 season, with reservations closed between 26 Oct 2026 and 27 Mar 2027. The airline previously scheduled 4X week flights with Airbus A320

Batik Air Malaysia scheduled 2X daily flights on its Kuala Lumpur-Kinmen route under charter using a Boeing 737 Max 8 from 5-10 Nov 2026

AirAsia Group signed a partnership with global eye care nonprofit Orbis International to support eye health systems and more sustainable access to eye care across Asia Pacific. AirAsia will offer $100,000 USD in airfare support annually over the next five years to help Orbis teams work with local hospitals, health ministries, training institutions, and eye care professionals across the region

Flights to Penang from China have fallen from 82 per week earlier in 2026 to 62 by end-May after the Middle East conflict. Penang tourism committee chairman estimates that around 10,000 Chinese tourists arrive into Penang each month on direct flights. HK Express has reported that it has carried more than 250,000 passengers on its Hong Kong-Penang route since its launch in Nov 2024, with more than one third of those passengers coming from mainland China via Hong Kong

Malaysia Airlines has stated that it will cooperate with authorities after reports of one of its pilots being arrested in Jakarta for allegedly smuggling 26kg of drugs into Indonesia, and being under the influence of cocaine and methamphetamine

TransNusa has scheduled one daily flight on its Bandar Lampung-Kuala Lumpur route using a COMAC C909 aircraft from 24 Aug

The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) advised passengers who are travelling to, from or transiting through the Middle East to check their flight status directly with their airlines, following the fluid security situation in the region which might affect international flight operations. CAAM said the airlines may reroute flights, revise schedules or cancel certain services. CAAM noted British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, KLM and Air France have extended suspensions from Aug to Oct 2026. Malaysia Airlines’ Doha flights are operating daily as usual while other suspended until 24 Oct

AirAsia X has suspended its Kuala Lumpur-Tashkent route from 2 Sep 2026, as part of an effort to optimise its network to ensure long-term sustainability. The airline will continue to monitor market conditions and demand levels. Passengers who are affected by the flight cancellation will receive notification and will get options for a full refund or a credit account deposit via AirAsia MOVE. The credit will be valid for 730 days from the date it was issued

Batik Air signed an MoU with YeePay to integrate the Chinese payment service provider’s system into the airline’s ticketing system. The YeePay co-founder expressed hope that the MoU will be the first of more integrations with airlines in Malaysia and Southeast Asia

AirAsia launched a special sale to Kuala Lumpur from Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, after Formula 1 and the FIA rescheduled the Bahrain Grand Prix to Sepang International Circuit from 2-4 Oct 2026

Sun PhuQuoc Airways plans to launch a daily flight on the Phu Quoc-Kuala Lumpur route from 1 Sep 2026, using Airbus A321neo

Sarawak Premier stated AirBorneo’s affordable RM375 fare model has caused AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines to reduce their respective fares as well for the Kuching-Kuala Lumpur route

Malaysia Airlines cancelled its flights to Shenzhen and Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur, scheduled for 25 and 26 Jul, due to Typhoon Noul which brought severe weather conditions to Southern China

AirAsia X has extended its flight frequency reduction on its Kuala Lumpur-Beijing Daxing route from 25 Oct with 4X weekly flights, instead of 1 daily flight as per prior plans

AirAsia has confirmed that its Kuala Lumpur-Bahrain-London Gatwick flight launch has been postponed to Mar 2027, due to the prolonged geopolitical situation in the Middle East. The flight service was scheduled to be launched from 27 Aug 2026. The airline announced all passengers will be notified and offered a full refund to the original payment method or a refund in a credit account with a 730-day validity

AirBorneo flights for the 6 Feb 2027 Chinese New Year period on its Singapore-Kuching route are 80% booked, reaching its target according to its CEO. The airline launched its first international service on 22 Jul to Singapore from Kuching. He added they are looking to expand flight services to the ASEAN region and eventually southern China

AirBorneo warned passengers against purchasing tickets from unauthorised third parties, over risks including higher prices, hidden charges, and difficulties with refunds and rebooking. The airline advised the passengers to purchase tickets from reliable channels

Batik Air Malaysia will operate 3X weekly flights on its Kuala Lumpur–Taipei Taoyuan route from 1 Jan 2027 instead of daily flights with Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The airline will maintain this frequency for the summer season from 29 Mar 2027

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) reported 51 million passenger movements across its Malaysian airports in H1 2026, +1.8% YoY. MAHB attributed the increase in passenger movements to strong international travel demand, despite weaker domestic traffic. Domestic passenger traffic dropped by 4.4% YoY in H1 2026, with the sharpest decline recorded in Sabah at 7.1%, while Penang, Langkawi and several other secondary airports also recorded lower YoY traffic. International passenger traffic reached 27.8 million passengers, +7.7% YoY, supported by demand from Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, China, Australia, Vietnam and European markets. Kuala Lumpur International Airport recorded a total of 31.7 million passengers, +5.4% YoY, including 23.4 million international passengers, +7.8% YoY. MAHB handled 7.6 million passengers in Jun 2026, comprising 4.1 million international and 3.5 million domestic passengers

Data from AirAsia MOVE showed that travellers are spending 35% more on flights than hotels, indicating a preference to reduce accommodation budgets to afford higher airfares. Travellers are regaining confidence to book over 120 days before departure, with Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand being popular destinations. MOVE also noted that 2 in 5 flights are booked between the 25th and 5th of the month, showing that booking patterns align with salary cycles in Asia. There has been a 14% increase in preference for international destinations within 4 hours of flight time. Travellers aged 30-45 account for 43% of bookings, alongside growing Gen Z demand, with 2/3 of bookings made by younger travellers

Malaysia Airlines will adopt the IATA Turbulence Aware programme to provide pilots with real-time turbulence data. The airline was recently recognised by AirlineRatings.com as a Seven Star PLUS safety-rated airline

AirBorneo apologised to its passengers following a flight delay on its Kuala Lumpur-Kuching route due to technical reasons. The flight departed safely later after the issue was resolved

Malaysia Airlines has expanded its codeshare partnership with Cathay Pacific for Boston, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Seattle routes from Hong Kong starting mid-Jul 2026

Sarawak Premier stated that AirBorneo is looking to launch flights across ASEAN, while maintaining rural air services in Sabah and Sarawak. He added the airline will launch its first Kuching-Singapore flight on 22 Jul and will launch flights to Jakarta within the next 2 months

AirBorneo said around 4,000 passengers might be affected by flight schedule adjustments from 6 Jul to 24 Oct, involving certain routes. AirBorneo stated this was due to the grounding of several ATR72 and DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft for unscheduled maintenance, as well as global supply chain constraints for aircraft components and parts. Flight frequencies for around 594 flights will be adjusted, and another 1,337 flights will be retimed during the period. The airline added that affected passengers will be managed according to the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code, including rebooking arrangements, refund options, and other appropriate assistance. The airline is looking to introduce a new generation of ATR72-600 and ATR42-600 aircraft between Q3 2027 and Q3 2029. It currently operates 2 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, 8 ATR 72-500 turboprops, and 6 DHC-6-400 Twin Otters, serving 21 destinations

Batik Air has extended its service reduction for its Kuala Lumpur-Taipei Taoyuan route until 30 Dec 2026, from 7X weekly to 3X weekly using Boeing 737 MAX 8. The airline previously scheduled it until 24 Oct 2026

Malaysia Airlines has signed a new codeshare partnership with SNCF Voyageurs, the national rail operator of France, to give rail access from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to 28 destinations across the country. The partnership will be available through SNCF Voyageurs’ Train + Air product, integrating air and rail travel under a single itinerary. Malaysia Airlines has begun to sell the tickets since 10 Jul, and this will be available under its MHrail initiative, which integrates air and rail services

Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) CEO of Airline Business said they are considering the C919 aircraft by COMAC, but they are waiting for the aircraft to be certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration. He added that there is “no doubt” that COMAC will receive certification from EASA and “the certification to be ready and be accepted by Malaysia and other countries” where the airline flies. However, he mentioned that the C919 will miss the current fleet renewal cycle of Malaysia Airlines. He said that MAG is committed to narrowbody aircraft orders until 2035

The Melaka Government is negotiating with several airlines, including low-cost carriers, to launch new domestic and international flights to improve air connectivity, as well as drive tourism and economic growth. Proposed routes include Batam, Penang, and Kota Bharu, as well as opportunities in Thailand, Vietnam, and China. Melaka International Airport only managed 39,222 passengers in 2025, out of its total capacity of 500,000 passengers annually

AirBorneo announced that it will start to sell tickets from Kuching-Singapore on 13 Jul, with flights to start from 22 Jul. The airline stated that it was the first time that the airline had operated international flights, and that it was a “milestone”. The date of 22 Jul coincides with Hari Sarawak

Cirium’s On-Time Performance Monthly Report shows Philippine Airlines was the 6th most on-time airline in the Asia Pacific region for Jun 2026 with a punctuality rate of 86.33%. Scoot recorded 86.98% (3rd place), Singapore Airlines 86.74% (5th), AirAsia Group 84.88% (8th), Garuda Indonesia 84.13% (9th), and Malaysia Airlines 83.19% (10th)

Malaysia Airlines cancelled flights between Kuala Lumpur-Taipei on 11 Jul due to Typhoon Bavi