Malaysia Airlines flies over 1.3 million passengers on India routes in H1
Dersenish Aresandiran
India tops international markets in revenue, surpassing traditional strongholds like Australia and Europe.
Malaysia Airlines continues to strengthen its foothold in the Indian market with an extensive network of close to 77 weekly flights connecting Kuala Lumpur to 10 key Indian cities - a number expected to rise to 80 by December 2025. While major metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai drive strong traffic, Tier 2 markets including Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, and Hyderabad are witnessing steady growth.
T3 speaks with Dersenish Aresandiran, Chief Commercial Officer of Airlines, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), to discuss the airline’s performance in the Indian market and more.
Aresandiran shared that Malaysia Airlines has witnessed steady performance in the first half of 2025, with India emerging as one of the fastest-growing international markets for the airline. “We carried over 1.3 million passengers on India routes in H1, surpassing our projections, supported by strong demand from both metro and Tier 2 cities,” he added. “India remains a strategic growth driver for us, with our current 77 weekly flights across 10 cities set to increase to 80 by December 2025. This trajectory underscores the resilience of travel demand and reflects the strength of our network, service proposition, and agility in responding to evolving market opportunities.”
India as a source market
According to Aresandiran, India has emerged as Malaysia Airlines’ leading international market by revenue, surpassing traditional strongholds such as Australia and Europe. “Alongside our core strengths in Southeast Asia, Australia and key Middle Eastern routes, India is now a cornerstone of our global network. In H1 2025, India contributed approximately 11% of total revenue and 20% of passenger volumes,” explained Aresandiran. Load factors on Indian routes average about 88% in metro cities and about 86% in Tier 2 destinations. Given this momentum, India is expected to remain a priority growth market in the years ahead, contributing substantially to both volumes and revenues.
Strategy ahead
The airline has already strengthened presence in secondary markets with additional frequencies from Ahmedabad and Thiruvananthapuram, while also evaluating underserved cities such as Amritsar, which hold significant potential for future expansion.
Aresandiran further shared that the most recent development is the expanded codeshare with Qantas, which deepens our connectivity across Australia and Southeast Asia. Under this partnership, Malaysia Airlines will place its code on 18 domestic routes operated by Qantas in Australia, enabling smoother connections from international gateways into cities such as Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, and Launceston. At the same time, Qantas will place its code on flights from Kuala Lumpur to Australia’s major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.
Firefly, the sister airline, is set to launch new regional services to Krabi, Siem Reap, and Cebu in November 2025, enhancing ASEAN connectivity for both Free Independent Travellers (FIT) and group travellers.
“We also maintain a strategic codeshare with IndiGo, offering connectivity into Tier 2 and Tier 3 Indian markets such as Varanasi, Goa, and Bhubaneswar. Looking ahead, while no new Indian destinations are planned in 2025, markets like Jaipur remain under review for 2026,” noted Aresandiran.
Plans for travel trade
Malaysia Airlines aims to work closely with agents and tour operators through platforms such as dedicated Group Portal, that streamlines group bookings. The New Distribution Capability (NDC), also supports providing richer content, tailored offers, and greater flexibility. In addition, products like Bonus Side Trip for leisure travellers, MHcorporate for business clients, and MHexplorer for students and young travellers, alongside ancillary solutions such as MHupgrade that allow for customised journeys, are in place.
“By equipping our partners with the right tools and enabling them to directly experience our services and connectivity through familiarisation trips and engagement programmes, we continue to strengthen advocacy for Malaysia Airlines and reinforce our position as a trusted international carrier in the Indian market,” explained Aresandiran.
