KLIA Retains Top Low Cost Megahub Ranking as Transfer and Reliability Gaps Persist

A global connection leader with an uneven passenger journey

Kuala Lumpur International Airport has retained its position as the world's most connected low cost carrier megahub for a second successive year, with 16,502 possible connections across 151 destinations in the Official Aviation Guide (OAG) ranking. On OAG's broader connectivity index, KLIA shares fourth place worldwide with Frankfurt.

AirAsia supplies much of that strength. The group accounts for an estimated 36 percent of flights at KLIA and operates more than 4,500 services each week from Terminal 2 to over 100 destinations across Asia and beyond. Its dense schedule helps passengers combine relatively inexpensive flights into journeys through Kuala Lumpur.

The airport serves 70 airlines, has recovered traffic beyond levels recorded before the pandemic, and continues adding routes that strengthen its reach across ASEAN. Short regional flights form much of that network, giving travelers more choices of departure time and onward destination.

Passengers encounter a less consistent experience on the ground. Terminals 1 and 2 lack an airside connection, meaning a transfer between them requires leaving the secure passenger area and passing through immigration and security again. Equipment failures, queues and mixed departure punctuality add further pressure to connecting journeys.

KLIA placed 65th in the 2025 Skytrax World Airport Awards, compared with Singapore Changi in first place, Jakarta at 25th and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi at 39th. Its connectivity ranking measures the opportunities in the flight schedule; the passenger experience also depends on how reliably people can move between those flights.

For Malaysia, the task is to turn an extensive network into a consistently dependable hub while preparing for more passengers, expanding cargo activity and supporting Visit Malaysia Year 2026.

How AirAsia makes the network work

OAG's low cost megahub ranking counts feasible connections within a set time window. A connection links an arriving flight with an onward departure, allowing a passenger to travel between places without a direct service. Frequent flights create more opportunities to make that journey.

AirAsia uses Terminal 2, KLIA's dedicated low cost facility, to bring together an extensive network of flights between individual cities. Its schedule includes hundreds of daily services across Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, India, China and other markets.

Multiple daily departures give passengers more flexibility and make relatively short connections possible for many city pairs. They also allow smaller cities to be linked through Kuala Lumpur, widening travel choices beyond the largest regional capitals.

Low cost airlines traditionally sell separate journeys between two airports. Without an interline agreement, which lets airlines coordinate parts of a journey, passengers may need to collect their baggage and check it in again before boarding the next flight. That takes time and leaves a tighter margin when the arriving aircraft is late.

KLIA's flight frequencies and groups of arrivals and departures timed around each other help travelers arrange their own connections. AirAsia's connection products also allow passengers to book two or more flight legs together, reducing some of the work involved in combining separate journeys.

Lower passenger fees than those at some competing hubs contribute to KLIA's price appeal. Together with a large, efficient fleet of aircraft with a single aisle and relatively short routes across ASEAN, that cost base helps airlines maintain frequent services at lower fares.

Travelers moving between South Asia, Southeast Asia and selected Northeast Asian markets can therefore choose Kuala Lumpur for both price and flight availability. AirAsia's ambition also extends to connecting longer international journeys with its extensive regional network.

Why changing terminals remains difficult

Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 operate without a link inside the secure airport area. Passengers switching between them must exit, complete the necessary immigration procedures and undergo security screening again. An inbound delay can leave too little time for those steps.

Baggage cannot currently be transferred between the terminals within the secure area. For airlines seeking to connect full service and low cost networks, that adds handling requirements, time and expense. It also limits the practical value of partnerships that depend on smooth transfers.

Singapore Changi and Doha provide a comparison in the original assessment of KLIA's transfer problem: their terminals function as a connected secure zone, allowing passengers to move between flights more easily. KLIA's split arrangement interrupts that process even when the onward flight is part of an otherwise attractive itinerary.

Passengers also face complaints about long queues at busy times, limited seating at some gates, unclear signs in parts of the airport and inconsistent cleanliness. Those problems affect the time spent waiting as well as the effort needed to find the next gate.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), working with the Ministry of Transport (MoT), has developed a proof of concept for dedicated coaches operating airside between the terminals. The intended result is a transfer from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1, or in the opposite direction, without another passage through immigration.

Executives and consultants supporting the proposal say it could reduce missed connections and give the airport more freedom to distribute activity between terminals. Aircraft parking space near Terminal 1 is becoming tight, while Terminal 2 has room available.

Making the proposal work requires baggage procedures to connect two terminals designed around different airline models. Malaysia Airlines, under Malaysia Aviation Group, and AirAsia would also need arrangements defining who pays and who benefits. Policy support and coordination would be needed for secure coach operations, baggage transfers and consistent procedures across the organisations involved.

AirAsia's call to fix the basics first

AirAsia has long argued that practical repairs at Terminal 2 should receive attention before major integration spending. In 2019, Riad Asmat, then chief executive of AirAsia Malaysia, urged MAHB to pause capital intensive proposals and improve the terminal's basic facilities. His position was expressed as follows:

Riad Asmat, AirAsia Malaysia CEO at the time, said the operator should put the terminal integration idea on hold and spend to raise Terminal 2 to the standards of Terminal 1, fix uneven aprons and taxiways, add more guest friendly spaces, and redesign boarding gates.

Aprons are the areas where aircraft park for boarding, unloading and servicing. Taxiways connect those areas with runways. Their condition affects aircraft movement, while gate design and passenger space directly affect the boarding experience.

Benyamin Ismail, chief executive of AirAsia X Malaysia, has described a strategy linking longer flights into the group's ASEAN network. His argument also questioned whether a proposed project would deliver enough value for passengers paying budget fares:

Benyamin Ismail, CEO of AirAsia X Malaysia, said the airline's vision is to build a low cost hub that connects long haul travelers from places like Australia, China, India, South Korea and Japan into ASEAN's largest short haul network, and that there is no point spending budget travelers' money on a concept that does not make sense.

The aerotrain timetable and the longer repair effort

KLIA's aerotrain connects the main terminal with the satellite building used for most international flights. A major breakdown in early 2023 stranded travelers and led to suspension of the service. Buses became the replacement, slowing connections for many international passengers.

Airport management scheduled the upgraded service to restart on July 1, 2025, following an interruption described as lasting about two and a half years. The restart date was a scheduled milestone; completion is not confirmed here.

The replacement project was procured for about RM456 million and involved partners with rail expertise. Plans included trains carrying up to 270 passengers per set, together with revised control and maintenance arrangements intended to improve reliability.

The aerotrain project and the proposed coaches address different journeys. The train serves movement between the main terminal and its satellite building, while the coach concept would connect Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 inside the secure area.

Several dates frame the airport's recent operational challenges and its immediate priorities:

• 2019: AirAsia Malaysia chief Riad Asmat called for practical improvements at Terminal 2 before major integration spending.
• Early 2023: A major aerotrain breakdown led to suspension of the service and replacement buses.
• July 1, 2025: Airport management's scheduled restart date for the upgraded aerotrain.
• August 2025: Malaysia Airlines was the only airline identified as meeting KLIA's 85 percent target for departures on time.
• 2025: Malaysia's ASEAN chairmanship places regional connectivity alongside its airport development priorities.
• 2026: Visit Malaysia Year adds urgency to improving the experience for arriving and connecting visitors.

Punctuality and passenger processing

Malaysia Airlines alone met the 85 percent target for departures on time at KLIA in August 2025. AirAsia, Batik Air and Firefly fell short. For a hub built around connections, departure reliability matters alongside the number of destinations.

A late aircraft can disrupt dozens of connections when arrivals and departures are grouped into connecting periods. Passengers may lose the onward flight they selected, while airlines must manage the effects across later services.

KLIA has reorganised immigration lanes, put more electronic immigration gates into service and introduced biometric kiosks for selected airlines and passport holders. These measures have reduced peak queue times by minutes and helped some operators improve punctuality.

Biometric processing uses a physical feature, such as a face, to help confirm identity. Electronic gates and self service kiosks can move eligible travelers through routine checks more quickly, leaving staffed counters to handle other cases.

Reaching the 85 percent departure benchmark across more airlines would make connections more dependable. Passengers also need faster baggage delivery, clearer signs and lighting, adequate seating at crowded gates and consistent maintenance in both terminals.

The digital systems behind the terminals

KLIA has rebuilt its digital infrastructure through the wider Airports 4.0 programme. A high capacity fibre network now supports operations across terminals, carrying critical systems separately and securely.

The upgrade replaced manual network configurations that were vulnerable to failure with automated controls and greater redundancy. Redundancy means having alternative connections or equipment available when part of a system fails, helping services keep running.

Passenger information displays, security cameras, retail payment systems and airline operations rooms all depend on reliable networks. Better connections also make it easier to introduce tools such as smart video analysis and predictive maintenance, which uses operational information to anticipate equipment problems.

Check in and boarding systems present a different coordination issue. Common Use Passenger Processing Systems, known as CUPPS, allow several airlines to use shared airport infrastructure rather than each requiring its own equipment and applications.

Full service airlines tend to favour shared platforms because they support interline journeys and airline alliances. Low cost carriers sometimes resist them when the costs outweigh the benefits of their own extensive use of self service.

AirAsia has historically preferred its own systems at Terminal 2, while the airport operator has promoted shared platforms to improve the use of space and departure punctuality. A flexible combination of the two approaches would allow different airline models to operate without requiring every carrier to use the same arrangement.

Regional rivals are expanding as expectations rise

Singapore Changi has announced investment over several years and plans for a large new terminal adding capacity for tens of millions of passengers annually. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi continues expanding, while Don Mueang, Bangkok's low cost airport, is undergoing major upgrades.

Jakarta's Soekarno Hatta has improved its customer ranking and pursued incremental capacity projects. The competing airports are described as operating within single airside campuses, giving them an advantage in keeping transfers short and straightforward.

KLIA has received industry recognition for airport performance, network growth, route development and modernisation projects. Its gap with customer experience leaders such as Changi and Haneda remains visible in queues, terminal design, signs and the reliability of passenger transport systems.

Southeast Asia's air traffic is forecast to more than triple over the next two decades. Governments are responding with new airports, expanded terminals and additional runway capacity, increasing the competition for airlines and connecting passengers.

Vietnam is building Long Thanh International Airport to ease pressure on Ho Chi Minh City and is expanding Hanoi's airport. The Philippines is supporting several projects around Manila. Thailand is enlarging Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang and developing U Tapao near its eastern seaboard.

Malaysia's national plans include major improvements at KLIA and airports in other cities, with ambitions to increase capacity sharply by the end of the decade. A fourth runway and expanded terminals are among KLIA's proposed projects. Their delivery will influence how well the airport accommodates rising demand without creating new bottlenecks.

Cargo adds another reason for airlines to choose KLIA

KLIA Aeropolis extends the airport's strategy beyond passenger terminals. The plan for an airport city in Sepang centres on three groups of activity: air cargo and logistics; aerospace and aviation; and meetings, conventions and leisure.

KLIA already hosts all four of the world's major express delivery integrators and a large share of leading freight forwarders. Cargo operators move hundreds of thousands of tons annually, using both dedicated freight aircraft and the cargo space beneath passenger cabins.

Online shopping is encouraging facilities to be repurposed and free commercial zones to expand so that goods can move across borders more quickly. Malaysia has promoted the Digital Free Trade Zone near KLIA as an entry point for online retail shipments into Southeast Asia.

Partnerships with regional platforms and logistics companies seek to connect the full delivery process, from the main transport journey to the final delivery address. That brings warehousing, handling and distribution activity into the airport's wider development plans.

Passenger flights and freight activity can support each other. Airlines can serve demand for travelers and cargo on the same aircraft, while investment in warehouses, ground handling and technology can improve the efficiency of operations around the airport.

Making the whole journey more dependable

Kuala Lumpur's fast rail service to KL Sentral provides a major connection between the airport and the city. Many visitors still prefer transport directly to their destination, making the organisation of other ground services part of the airport experience.

Travelers and industry voices have raised concerns about fragmented connections around Kuala Lumpur, including coordination of transport booked through apps, bus frequency and the difficulty of changing between train lines. More reliable services and clearer information would improve arrivals and departures for visitors and transit passengers.

MAHB, the government and airlines also need to coordinate runway and terminal investment so that additional capacity does not simply move congestion elsewhere. The same coordination is needed for an airside coach service, secure baggage transfers and arrangements linking different airline networks.

Agreements between countries influence how extensively airlines can use KLIA. Open skies policies allow carriers to operate without strict limits on routes or capacity, creating more opportunities to route journeys through Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia's ASEAN chairmanship in 2025 and preparations for Visit Malaysia Year 2026 give these operational priorities a near term focus. Reliable passenger transport, departures on time, practical terminal improvements and clear ground connections will determine how comfortably travelers can use the network that has earned KLIA its global ranking.

The Bottom Line

• KLIA retained OAG's top low cost megahub position for a second year, with 16,502 connections across 151 destinations.
• The airport shares fourth place with Frankfurt on OAG's broader connectivity index.
• AirAsia accounts for about 36 percent of KLIA flights and operates more than 4,500 weekly services from Terminal 2.
• Transfers between Terminals 1 and 2 require passengers to leave the secure area and complete immigration and security procedures again.
• MAHB and the transport ministry have developed a concept for airside coaches, with baggage handling and airline coordination still central to implementation.
• The aerotrain upgrade, procured for about RM456 million, had a scheduled restart date of July 1, 2025.
• Only Malaysia Airlines met the 85 percent departure punctuality target in August 2025.
• KLIA ranked 65th in the 2025 Skytrax awards, behind Changi, Jakarta and Suvarnabhumi.
• Digital upgrades, proposed runway and terminal expansion, and the Aeropolis cargo strategy support the airport's growth plans.