Penang International Airport
Penang International Airport Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Pulau Pinang | |||||||||||
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 Airport passenger terminal | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Government of Malaysia | ||||||||||
| Operator | Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad | ||||||||||
| Serves | Penang | ||||||||||
| Location | Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 11 ft / 3 m | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  PEN/WMKP Location in Peninsular Malaysia | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2012) | |||||||||||
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Penang International Airport (IATA: PEN, ICAO: WMKP), previously known as Bayan Lepas International Airport, is situated in the Bayan Lepas area that at southeast of Penang Island, Malaysia. The airport is located 16 km (9.9 mi) away from 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 2010, over 4 million passengers used Penang International Airport. 43,621 aircraft movements were registered.[1] 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.[4]
Penang International Airport won the Best Emerging Airport (Asia) award in the 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.[5] 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.[6]
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.[7]
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.[8][9]
Airlines and destinations
Passenger Terminal
Cargo Terminal
Traffic and Statistics
handled |
% Change |
(tonnes) |
% Change |
Movements |
% Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 2,334,669 |  |
197,567 | |
30,558 |
|
| 2004 | 2,987,993 | 28.0 |
212,369 | 7.5 |
33,069 | 8.2
|
| 2005 | 2,834,545 |  5.1 |
221,971 | 4.5 |
34,616 | 4.7
|
| 2006 | 3,103,772 | 9.5 |
225,952 | 1.8 |
36,259 | 4.7
|
| 2007 | 3,173,117 | 2.2 |
208,582 | 7.7 |
39,265 | 8.3
|
| 2008 | 3,405,762 | 7.3 |
192,936 | 7.5 |
43,796 | 11.5
|
| 2009 | 3,325,423 | 2.4 |
137,775 | 28.6 |
43,621 | 0.4
|
| 2010 | 4,166,969 | 25.3 |
147,057 | 6.7 |
50,205 | 15.1
|
| 2011 | 4,600,274 | 10.4 |
131,846 | 10.3 |
54,713 | 9.0
|
| 2012 | 4,767,815 | 3.6 |
123,246 | 6.5 |
53,766 | 1.7
|
Statistics
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Ground Transportation
Air passengers can take taxis, which are found within the airport. The main public bus transportation in Penang, Rapid Penang also provides services to the airport. There are 3 bus routes: 102, 306, and 401E. 102 is a route to Teluk Bahang from the Airport via KOMTAR, 306 links the airport to the Penang General Hospital through Air Itam and 401E is the express bus connects the airport to George Town, the state capital and Balik Pulau.
References
- ^ a b Penang International Airport at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
- ^ Template:WAD
- ^ Airport information for PEN at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
- ^ "AirAsia to turn Penang into fourth hub in Malaysia". The Star. July 8, 2009.
- ^ "Talks on low cost carrier terminal in Penang". The Star. February 8, 2007.
- ^ "Build Terminal, Airline Urged". The Star. October 28, 2008.
- ^ "Syor bina terminal kos rendah di LTABL". Berita Harian. April 3, 2007.
- ^ "Highlights Of The 2009 Mini-Budget", "My Sin Chew", 2009-03-10
- ^ "A shot in the arm for Penang", "Business Times", 2009-03-12
- ^ EVA Air Cargo Schedule
- ^ "MAHB Annual Report 2012" (PDF). MAHB. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
External links
- Penang International Airport at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
- Current weather for WMKP at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for PEN at Aviation Safety Network