Penang: Connecting Penang to the rest of China, a new direct international flight will provide another method for travellers to connect. Qingdao Airlines will begin to provide non-stop flights on March 31, which marks the first time there will be non-stop service between the two cities. Tickets are already on sale at the airline’s official website.
According to Penang’s State Executive Councillor for Tourism and Creative Economy, Wong Hon Wai, this flight service marks the beginning of Visit Malaysia Year 2026 and is expected to create a boom in both tourism and exchange of people between both cities.
“With the newly launched service, Qingdao will now be the northern-most Chinese city to have direct international service to Penang and is indicative of our continued efforts to expand our aviation network into northern China,” Wong explained.
Direct flight number QW923 from the Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport departs at 9:00 am (local time) and arrives at the Penang International Airport at 3:35 p.m. (local time), while the direct flight number QW924 will leave Penang at 4:35 p.m. (local time) and arrive in Qingdao at 10:55 p.m. (local time). The route will operate three times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Wong said discussions on opening a direct air link began following his meeting with a delegation from the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Shandong Province in June 2024, during which the province expressed interest in strengthening engagement with Southeast Asia.
He added that Penang Global Tourism later held preliminary discussions with Qingdao Airlines in December 2025, followed by further meetings in Qingdao in January this year to finalise details of the service and explore cooperation in promoting bilateral tourism.
Wong said Penang is currently connected to 20 international cities, including Bangkok, Phuket, Medan, Jakarta, Taipei, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Doha and Chennai, among others.
With the launch of the Qingdao route on March 31 and the upcoming commencement of Chongqing–Penang flights by Chongqing Airlines on April 8, Penang’s international network will expand to 22 direct international destinations.
He noted that Penang currently has scheduled direct flights to six Chinese cities: Chengdu, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Shanghai and that the addition of Qingdao and Chongqing will increase the number to eight, covering major regions including east, south and southwest China.
