GEORGE TOWN: Penang today welcomed the inaugural direct flight from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, operated by Shanghai Airlines, which marks another significant milestone in Penang's efforts to penetrate the international tourism market.
The flight, which landed at 7.11 am at the Penang International Airport here, is also the second direct flight route between Shanghai and Penang after the inaugural flight of Juneyao Airlines on May 31.
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said the launch of this direct flight not only builds another bridge of friendship between the people of Shanghai and Penang but also injects new vitality into the economic and cultural exchanges between China and Malaysia.
"The new direct flight opens up Penang to the vast market of East China. Residents and businesses in Shanghai and neighbouring provinces can now take advantage of China's advanced high-speed rail and comprehensive domestic flight network to connect seamlessly to Penang via Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
"This new route is poised to ignite renewed interest in Penang among East China tourists, revitalising our tourism industry and with a surge in visitors from East China, we anticipate substantial growth opportunities for Penang's tourism sector," he said in a statement.
Wong noted that hotels, restaurants, retail outlets, and entertainment venues will also certainly be benefited, propelling the state's overall economic development.
As the third-largest source of tourists for Penang's tourism industry after Indonesia and Singapore, Wong said the number of Chinese tourists who took direct flights to Penang reached 44,847, which showed a significant increase of 244.21 per cent compared to 13,029 recorded in the same period last year.
With the addition of Shanghai Airlines, there are now seven cities in China with direct flights to Penang, including Xiamen (Xiamen Airlines), Guangzhou (China Southern Airlines), Shenzhen (Shenzhen Airlines), Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific and AirAsia), Shanghai (Juneyao Airlines and Shanghai Airlines), Haikou (Batik Air charter flights), and Chongqing (Firefly Airlines charter flights).
Shanghai Airlines's Shangai-Penang direct flight with the narrow-body Boeing 738 aircraft that takes a travel time of one hour and 25 minutes, will operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
As of now, including Shanghai Airlines' direct flight to Penang, Penang has 31 international direct flights provided by various airlines, connecting 17 international cities, including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore, Bangkok, Phuket, Medan, Jakarta, Surabaya, Banda Aceh, Taipei, Ho Chi Minh City, Haikou (charter flight), and Chongqing (charter flight).
Wong also pointed out that towards the end of the year, Penang is also expecting a few more international direct flights including from Chennai, India which is a new route, another direct flight from Hong Kong and more chartered direct flights from China. – BERNAMA