Penang State Executive Councillor for Tourism and Creative Economy, Wong Hon Wai, has announced another good news. Following the inaugural flight of Juneyao Airlines from Shanghai to Penang on 31 May 2024, Shanghai Airlines has officially launched its first direct flight from Shanghai to Penang, touching down at Penang International Airport this morning at 7:11 AM. This marks the second direct flight route between Shanghai and Penang.
“Just like Penang Island and Seberang Perai are connected by the 2 Penang Bridge, today, the second ‘aerial bridge’ connecting Shanghai and Penang is officially completed. 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”, mentioned by Wong Hon Wai.
Wong Hon Wai also stated, “The collaboration between Penang and Shanghai Airlines marks another significant milestone in Penang’s efforts to penetrate the international tourism market. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, the Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Malaysia, for his tremendous support.” Echoing his last year’s announcement on visa exemption for Chinese tourists to Malaysia, Dato Sri provided a heads-up earlier this year on the commencement of this route alongside the announcement of Shanghai and China Eastern Airlines to boost flights to 62 flights per week to new destinations including Penang and other states of Malaysia.
Shanghai Airlines flight FM877 departed Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 1:50 AM, arriving at Penang International Airport at 7:11 AM.
The return flight, FM878, is scheduled to take off from Penang International Airport at 8:30 AM, landing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 1:55 PM after a flight duration of 5 hours and 25 minutes.
This Shanghai-Penang direct flight provided by Shanghai Airlines will operate 3 times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, using a narrow-body Boeing 738 aircraft. It will further meet the growing travel demand between Shanghai and Penang. Moreover, Shanghai Airlines’ direct flight to Penang provides more travel options for business travellers and tourists from both cities.
Wong Hon Wai stated: “According to the statistics, as of the end of 2023, the population of Shanghai was 24.8745 million. If we add the population from other provinces in East China, such as Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong, Jiangxi et cetera. East China is undoubtedly a market worth cultivating for Penang’s tourism industry”.
He further elaborated: “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”.
He continued: “This new route is poised to ignite renewed interest in Penang among East China tourists, revitalizing our tourism industry. With a surge in visitors from East China, we anticipate substantial growth opportunities for Penang’s tourism sector. Hotels, restaurants, retail outlets, and entertainment venues will certainly benefit, propelling our overall economic development. The Shanghai-Penang direct flights present immense potential that warrants sustained investment and expansion”.
With the addition of Shanghai Airlines, Penang’s air transportation network is further enriched. There are now 7 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). This means that there will be more flights travelling between Penang and China every week. For Chinese friends, this marks a further facilitation of air travel between China and Penang, and Penang’s accessibility has been improved once again, providing more options for people-to-people exchanges, leisure travel, and economic cooperation between the two places, and promoting the joint economic development of both sides.
Highlighting Penang’s appeal to Chinese tourists, Wong Hon Wai remarked: “Given the friendliness of the people of Penang, the widespread use of Mandarin language, the various mouth-watering local Penang delicacies, the rich cultural heritage, and the numerous historical sites, Penang has always been a dream destination for Chinese friends from China, and the number of Chinese visitors to Penang has always been among the top”.
China is the third-largest source of tourists for Penang’s tourism industry, second only to Indonesia and Singapore. In the first half of 2024 (January to June), the number of Chinese tourists who took direct flights to Penang reached 44,847, a significant increase of 244.21% compared to 13,029 in the same period in 2023. This remarkable growth momentum shows that Chinese tourists’ love for Penang has been increasing in recent years. It is worth noting that this figure only counts tourists who flew directly to Penang and does not include those who arrived in Kuala Lumpur and then transferred to Penang or entered through land transportation. The actual number of Chinese tourists coming to Penang may be much higher.
In 2024, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China, there has been frequent good news about bilateral relations between the two countries. Malaysia also announced in June that the visa-free policy for Chinese citizens visiting Malaysia will be extended to the end of 2026. Wong Hon Wai commented: “This good news is a boon for Penang’s tourism industry. By exempting the cumbersome visa procedures, it will greatly reduce the threshold for Chinese tourists to travel, and therefore the extension of the visa-free policy will effectively facilitate the travel of Chinese tourists, further stimulate Penang’s tourism industry and bring more tourism income to Penang. It is foreseeable that in the future, Penang will welcome more tourists from China, and Shanghai Airlines’ direct flight from Shanghai to Penang provides a convenient air channel for travel between the two places, further strengthening the ties between the two places and adding to the increasingly deep friendship between Malaysia and China”.
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). The well-connected international flight network is of utmost importance to Penang, a tourist destination, which is the main reason why the Penang State Executive Councillor Office for Tourism and Creative Economy (PETACE) has been relentlessly expanding our international flight network. Towards the end of the year, we are expecting a few more international direct flights, which include notable mention from Chennai, India which is a new route, another direct flight from Hong Kong as well as more chartered direct flights from China.
Wong Hon Wai expressed his gratitude for Shanghai Airlines’ tireless efforts in enhancing connectivity between Penang and Shanghai. He said: “The inauguration of the second direct flight from Shanghai to Penang is not only a significant advancement in the Shanghai-Penang air network but also a model of win-win cooperation between the two cities”. Wong Hon Wai also extended his appreciation to the minister, all government agencies, airline operators, tourism stakeholders, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, and various partners who contributed to the realization of this route. He believes that this flight will continually deepen the interactions between the people of Penang and Shanghai, serving as a significant catalyst for the economic and cultural exchanges between the two regions.
Also present at the welcome reception are YB Wong Hon Wai (Penang State EXCO for Tourism and Creative Economy), YB Wong Yuee Harng (State Assemblyman for Pengkalan Kota), YB Phee Syn Tze (State Assemblywoman from Sungai Puyu), Mr Ooi Chok Yan (CEO of Penang Global Tourism)； Tourism Malaysia represented by Dato’ Yeoh Soon Hin (Deputy Chairman of the Tourism Malaysia) and Mr Samuel Lee (Deputy Director General (Promotion II) of Tourism Malaysia); and the representatives from tourism industry players.
