Penang International Airport (IATA: PEN, ICAO: WMKP), previously known as Bayan Lepas International Airport, is situated in the Bayan Lepas area of Penang, Malaysia. The airport is located 16 km (10 miles) south of George Town, the capital city of Penang.

Penang International Airport is a medium-sized airport with good connections to major cities in South East Asia. The airport serves as the main airport for the northern region of Malaysia. Passengers arriving or departing from the north will have a view of George Town, Butterworth and the Penang Bridge. Waiting times for check-in and baggage claims are relatively short compared to other larger regional airports. The airport is not crowded and basic facilities are available for users.

In 2008, over 3.4 million passengers used Penang International Airport. 43,796 aircraft movements were registered. Penang International Airport is the third busiest airport in the country, right after Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Kota Kinabalu International Airport.

The airport is the hub of two low-cost carriers, namely Firefly and AirAsia.

Penang International Airport won the Best Emerging Airport (Asia) in 23rd annual Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards 2009(AFSCA) and Airport of the Year (below 15 million passenger annually) in the 2009 Frost and Sullivan Asia Pacific Aerospace and Defence Awards.

Facilities

There are ongoing discussions between airport operator, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), Ministry of Transportation, and Asia's largest low cost carrier, AirAsia about setting up Malaysia's third low cost carrier terminal at the airport. In October 2008, Firefly was urged by the Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng to build a budget terminal, termed "community terminal" in order to better cater for the needs of budget travellers. He also called on the Federal Government and MAHB to consider renovating the current airport terminal to higher standards.

Reports in newspapers recently suggest that the new low-cost carrier terminal is approaching final stages. A parcel of land (36 hectares) has been reserved by Penang state government for the purpose. In NCER economic region, there is a proposal to build a new bigger and modern passenger and cargo terminal. An additional runway is also planned to cater increasing air traffic.

In the Mini-budget announced by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who is also the Finance Minister, on March 10, 2009, RM250 million has been allocated for the expansion of the airport..

Airlines and destinations

Passengers Terminal

Notes

• ^1 Although some of Cathay Pacific's flights to Hong Kong stop in Kuala Lumpur, Cathay Pacific has no rights to transport passengers between Penang and Kuala Lumpur.

Destination services from Penang International Airport

Cargo Terminal

Traffic and Statistics

Statistics

Ground Transportation

Air passengers can take taxis, which are found within the airport. The main public transportation in Penang, Rapid Penang also provides services to the airport. There are 5 bus routes: 102, 306, 401, 401A and 401E. 102 is a route to Teluk Bahang from the airport, 306 links the airport to the Penang General Hospital through Air Itam, 401 connects the airport to George Town, the state capital and Balik Pulau and 401E is the express bus for this route. Meanwhile, 401A is a direct bus to the airport from George Town.

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
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