Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport overtook Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport to become Southeast Asia’s second busiest airport in July, according to British aviation analytics firm OAG.
Soekarno-Hatta Airport recorded seat capacity of 3.3 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 3.2% just after Singapore’s Changi at 3.56 million.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which had long held the region’s second-busiest spot, slipped to third place after its seat capacity fell 4.4% to 3.15 million.
Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport ranked fourth with 3.14 million seats, down 1.9%.
Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Philippines finished the top five with 2.58 million seats, down 5.1%.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang spans roughly 100 square kilometers, making it Southeast Asia’s largest airport by land area and a key hub for both domestic and international air travel.
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A traveler at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia. Photo by AFP |
The airport handled 23.4 million international passengers in the first half of this year, up 7.8% from a year earlier, while total passenger movements grew 5.4% year on year to 31.7 million, The Star reported.
Overall capacity in the Southeast Asian market reduced by 1.2% compared to July last year to 50.4 million seats due to rising fuel costs triggered by political tensions in the Middle East, OAG reported.
A series of Southeast Asian airlines recently cut international routes amid rising fuel costs.