AirAsia now flies from Hanoi, Phuket to Penang
KUALA LUMPUR: Low-cost carrier AirAsia Bhd has added two international routes — Hanoi (Vietnam) and Phuket (Thailand) — at its Penang International Airport hub.
In a statement, AirAsia said the inaugural flight from Hanoi was received at Penang International Airport by state Tourism Development, Heritage, Culture and Arts executive councillor Yeoh Soon Hin, Penang Global Tourism chief executive officer Ooi Chok Yan and AirAsia Malaysia head of commercial Spencer Lee.
Lee said AirAsia Group had flown more than 11 million guests in and out of Penang since 2015.
“We are pleased to strengthen our Penang hub further with the two new routes. We are happy to share that as we are leading the market in Penang, with 68 per cent of direct routes as of April.
“We look forward to boosting tourist arrivals, while at the same time, connecting Penang folk and the northern community to more destinations internationally,” said Lee.
Yeoh said with the direct flights from Hanoi and Phuket, the state could expect more tourists arriving from these two cities.
“This upward trend in Penang tourism is a good indicator of a robust economy in the immediate foreseeable future,” he said.
The four weekly direct flights from Hanoi and daily direct flights from Phuket are the seventh and eighth new routes launched into Penang by the airline as a group, further strengthening Penang International Airport’s connectivity.
AirAsia currently operates 307 weekly one-way flights into Penang International Airport. In addition to Hanoi and Phuket, AirAsia also flies internationally from Penang to Jakarta, Singapore, Medan, Ho Chi Minh City, Surabaya, and Bangkok.
Domestically, it flies five domestic routes to Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Langkawi.