GEORGE TOWN, Jan 28 — Penang is set to deepen its aviation ties with India, with plans to introduce direct flights from another Indian city to the state following the encouraging performance of the Chennai–Penang route.
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said discussions on expanding direct flights between India and Penang had already taken place with IndiGo Airlines during his recent visit to Chennai, where he met with the airline’s deputy director of sales Srinivasan Jayaseelan.
“Following Chennai, there is strong potential for another Indian city to be directly connected to Penang. Once the arrangements and details are finalised, the Penang state government and IndiGo Airlines will make an official announcement accordingly,” he said in a statement today.
Wong recently led a Penang state delegation, together with tourism industry representatives, to Chennai as part of the Simply Penang tourism roadshow, aimed at promoting the state’s diverse tourism offerings to the Indian market, as well as attracting both leisure and business travellers, and expanding Penang’s international visitor base.
He said that sustained planning and proactive engagement with the Indian market over the past few years had led to the successful launch of IndiGo Airlines’ direct Chennai–Penang service on Dec 21, 2024.
Wong said the route currently remains the only direct air link between India and Penang, marking the first-ever direct connection between the state and Chennai and since its launch, the Chennai–Penang service has operated more than 770 flights, carrying over 100,000 passengers with an average load factor of around 70 per cent.
“The stable and positive performance of the route has significantly boosted Indian tourist arrivals, propelling India into Penang’s top 10 source markets, where it currently ranks sixth.
“In 2025 alone, 25,772 Indian tourists arrived at Penang International Airport via international flights, representing an increase of more than 2.3 times compared to 2024,” he said, adding that the figure was also around 3.5 times higher than in 2023.
Beyond air travel, Wong noted that cruise tourism from India had also shown strong growth, registering 18,688 Indian cruise passengers from January to November 2025, making India the second-largest source market at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal.
Overall, total Indian visitor arrivals to Penang in 2025 exceeded the 44,000 mark.
“To further strengthen Penang’s presence in India, we will continue systematic engagement through targeted promotions and industry collaboration,” he said, citing the Simply Penang roadshows held in major Indian cities including Mumbai, New Delhi, Kochi and Chennai.
Wong said the delegation also engaged with key industry associations and local media to further position Penang as a preferred destination for leisure, business and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) tourism. — Bernama
