PENANG, 8 July 2025 – AirAsia is organizing its RedRun event in Penang for the first time, as part of the airline’s regional tourism initiative after a successful first run in Bali earlier this year. Penang will host its RedRun event on 28 September at Gurney Plaza, with runners completing 3KM, 5KM, and 10KM categories.
The event, part of the overall campaign by AirAsia for promoting tourism and cultural exchange throughout the entire ASEAN region, is going to draw thousands of visitors from across the region. Interested participants can register as of now up to 18 August with special promo codes given for early bird discounts.
Penang, AirAsia’s second-largest hub in Peninsular Malaysia, was selected as RedRun’s next destination due to its high heritage value, food culture and growing status as a lifestyle hub. The event will also overlap with the AirAsia Festival, sending the Gurney Plaza even further into high gear as a tourism and community hub.
State Executive Councillor of Tourism and Creative Economy YB Wong Hon Wai presided over the ceremony and praised the effort as a special occasion to build community ties and cultural interaction.
“AirAsia is instrumental in connecting Penang to the region and the world. This celebration showcases their emphasis on not only aviation but also making genuine ground connections,” he stated.
Wong also commended the airline for winning the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline for the 16th consecutive year by Skytrax, describing the win as a testament to Malaysia’s aviation power.
AirAsia Malaysia CEO Dato’ Captain Fareh Mazputra said the RedRun is not just a fitness run—it is a celebration of regional unity and national culture.
Since Bali, we are delighted to introduce RedRun to Penang, a place close to our hearts and the centre of our operations,” he further stated. “We would like more individuals to travel, discover, and connect through experiences like this.”.
More than 1.8 million visitors were flown in by AirAsia in the first half of 2025 through Penang International Airport which operates 239 weekly flights linking the island to 12 domestic and international destinations. They connect between prominent ASEAN cities such as Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City and prominent Malaysian cities such as Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, and Kuala Lumpur through KLIA.
AirAsia also facilitates convenient foreign connections with its FlyThru facility, linking visitors from foreign cities to Penang through KLIA.
Penang remains one of Malaysia’s top tourist destinations, with over eight million foreign visitors to its hotels in 2024. The double listing of the state as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve continues to entice tourists who are heritage, cultural, and food enthusiasts.
The RedRun is the latest addition to a thriving list of sports tourism events in Penang. “We hope that this will encourage more runners to prepare for the Penang Bridge International Marathon in December,” Wong further added, who also chairs the marathon’s organizing committee.
With RedRun ready to make its mark in Penang, organisers are hoping to place the state not just as a tourist spot, but also as a bustling lifestyle, fitness, and community hub.
