State Tourism Development, Heritage, Culture and Arts Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said he had held an informal meeting with Transport Minister Anthony Loke, and the response had been positive.
“However, we will have a more formal meeting with Loke to discuss in detail the airport expansion.
“As our airport is nearing its maximum capacity of 6.5 million passengers, especially with more and more direct flights to Penang, we should not delay on the airport expansion plans any longer,” he told reporters in a press conference here today.
Yeoh had earlier announced the passenger movement at PIA, which reached 3,075,643 for the period of January to May this year, an increase of 5.77% from the corresponding period last year.
He said from this figure, 1,525,665 were arrival passengers, with 682,228 for international arrivals and 843,437 for domestic arrivals.
The Paya Terubong assemblyman said international arrivals recorded an increase of 15.39% compared to the same period last year, while domestic arrivals registered an increase of only 0.26%.
At the same press conference, Yeoh announced that on July 1, there will be two inaugural direct flights to Penang – one from Hanoi and another from Phuket.
“Other than that, I will be in discussions with several airlines to negotiate for even more direct flights to Penang.
“This will boost the tourism industry and, at the same time, translate into economic benefits for our local communities,” he said.
On which countries they were targeting for more direct flights to Penang, Yeoh said they were looking to East Asia.
He said the state was also planning to have more promotions on medical tourism, and was looking to explore the Indo-China market such as Myanmar and Vietnam within the next three to four months.