Tiong: Malaysia connected to 126 cities worldwide with over 3,300 international flights weekly

SIBU (Dec 27): Malaysia now has direct flight connectivity to 126 cities across 37 countries and regions, with more than 3,343 international flights bringing up to 674,000 passengers into 13 gateway cities each week, said Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Dato Sri Tiong King Sing.

In a Facebook post, Tiong said Asean remains Malaysia’s largest source market, accounting for 1,799 direct international flights weekly. An additional 37 transit flights via Bali, Phuket and Singapore bring the total number of Asean-related flights to 1,836 per week.

“Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand record the highest number of weekly flights to Malaysia, with 679, 470 and 331 flights, respectively,” he said.

Overall, flights from Asean can carry up to 335,000 passengers weekly, with more than one-third originating from Indonesia.

This figure also includes Australian travellers transiting via Bali, he added.

Tiong said East Asia is the second-largest source of international flights, with 818 weekly services, followed by South Asia (394), the Middle East (128), Oceania (106), Europe (43), Central Asia (14) and Africa (four).

China leads East Asia with 623 weekly flights carrying about 124,200 passengers, followed by Japan with 70 flights accommodating nearly 20,000 passengers, as well as 19 transit flights via Taipei.

South Asia contributes up to 77,500 passengers per week, while the Middle East accounts for nearly 40,000 passengers. India has the strongest air connectivity with Malaysia in South Asia, with 232 weekly flights carrying up to 44,400 passengers.

In the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates leads with 53 of the 128 weekly flights, carrying up to 16,000 passengers.

“A total of 76 airlines from 37 countries and regions are currently operating flights to Malaysia, including nine new airlines this year, with 40 new international routes launched in 2025,” said Tiong.

Tiong added that, besides five local carriers, China stands out with 16 airlines enhancing air connectivity and opening access to more secondary cities.

Among the 13 international gateway cities, Kuala Lumpur remains the main entry point with 2,775 weekly flights and a capacity exceeding 570,000 passengers.

Penang ranks second with 287 flights and 53,000 passengers, followed by Kota Kinabalu with 132 flights and 24,000 passengers.

Johor Bahru receives 49 international flights weekly, while Kuching handles 41 flights.