AirAsia saw passenger numbers increase 11% to 63M in 2024

AirAsia, the short-haul low-cost airline group with divisions in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, and Cambodia, saw a substantial rise in passenger numbers in 2024 as the budget airline consortium grew to meet soaring demand for air travel in the region. In the last quarter of 2024 (4Q24) alone, the airline welcomed over 16 million passengers alone, representing a 9% increase over the same quarter in 2023.

For the full 2024 year, AirAsia carried 63,184,526 passengers (an increase of 11% over 20214) and saw its load factor reach 89%, a single percentage point increase over the previous year. In terms of total sectors flown in 2024, AirAsia airlines operated 387,518 revenue sectors, up 10% over the previous year. The average sector length increased by 3% to 745 miles (1,191km).

The Group’s fleet expansion continued throughout the year, which the airline attributes to its growth during the 12 months. The Group’s active fleet grew to 205 aircraft out of a total of 224 aircraft, with the reactivation of 14 aircraft during the year. AirAsia has sixteen non-active aircraft, with nine expected to enter service in the first quarter of 2025 and the remaining seven aircraft in the second quarter of 2025.

Additionally, in 2024, the Group inducted ten new aircraft into its fleet, which included nine new Airbus A321neos and a single pre-owned Airbus A320. During the year, the company returned two aircraft to lessors at the end of their respective lease periods. In a statement announcing its performance for 2024, Air Asia said that with the introduction of more new aircraft in 2025, the airline “will be able to fully utilize its fleet, reflecting its true capability of the airline and unlocking the potential for maximized revenue generation that was previously unattainable due to idle aircraft.

Pawarin Prapukdee / ShutterstockIn the last quarter of 2024 (October to December), the airline group carried 16, 266,309 passengers, an increase of 9% over the same quarter the previous year. The network load factor remained steady at 88% for the quarter. The company operated 101,084 flights during 4Q24, up from 92,633 in the same period in 2023, representing a 9% increase. The average sector length increased by 2% over 4Q23 to 751 miles (1,203km).

AirAsia is the operating brand of Capital A Berhad, a Malaysian company originally founded in 1993. AirAsia officially commenced operations in 1996, linking its Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) base with the Malaysian island of Langkawi using a Boeing 737-300. Since its commencement of operations, the AirAsia brand has grown exponentially and currently incorporates seven different airlines.

On the short-haul side, the AirAsia brand includes operations on five airlines (AirAsia, Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia, Philippines AirAsia, and AirAsia Cambodia), while on the long-haul side, two carriers (AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia X) operate longer flights to destinations outside of their immediate region.

Markus Mainka / ShutterstockTwo airlines that once formed part of the AirAsia family but are no longer operating under the brand are Air Asia India and AirAsia X Indonesia. AirAsia India was founded in 2014 and was later rebranded as AIX Connect in 2022, before being absorbed into the Air India Express brand in 2024 following the Tata Group taking over state-owned Air India.

Indonesia AirAsia X was a low-cost, long-haul airline, which emulated the operating model of sister companies AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia X. The carrier commenced operations in 2015 with a small fleet of Airbus A330-200 aircraft but ceased operations entirely in 2019 and was eventfully wound up in October 2020.

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