GEORGE TOWN – Penang aims to attract more direct flights between the state and the world’s major cities to develop better connectivity for economic growth.
In a statement here today, state Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said with the increasing number of travellers returning to the skies, new flight routes would be identified to explore new initiatives where Penang could be connected with other major destinations.
“For the past few years, I have been engaging with various airlines to look for new flight routes in different regions of the world.
“The pandemic does make it difficult, but the state government stays optimistic that we can extend our air connectivity to other major destinations,” he said.
With the expansion and upgrade of Penang International Airport (PIA) by the federal government, Yeoh said that it would be able to cater to over 12 million passengers annually and accommodate increasing traffic in the next few years.
Moreover, he added that the expansion of PIA would give Penang a competitive position to attract more passengers.
“After the completion of the project in four years, the state government would be able to turn Penang into a better-connected world aviation hub and ensure that the northern part of Malaysia would have access to global markets,” he added.
To position Penang as one of the vacation capitals of Asia, Yeoh also wants to delve into customer experience at the airport.
“Confidence in the post-pandemic tourism recovery is growing and Chinese travellers are yearning to travel, we should improve on our customer service and figure out how to make people feel better about being in the airport. I, as a passenger myself, value clean facilities wherever I travel,” he said.
He urged that the airport operators keep abreast on the latest facilities and services provided by other international airports so that passengers are assured that the safety measures and hygiene are on par with world standards at all times. – Bernama, April 26, 2023
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