GEORGE TOWN: The Haikou-Penang direct flight service will be launched on Oct 11, making Haikou the ninth Chinese city to have a scheduled direct air link with Penang, said State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai.
He said the new route would further strengthen air connectivity between Hainan and Penang while opening up greater opportunities for Penang to tap into the Chinese tourism market.
Wong said this following a meeting with representatives of Hainan Airlines in Guangzhou today, held on the sidelines of his tourism roadshow to showcase Penang’s tourism offerings.
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In a statement today, he said both parties had discussed and finalised plans for the new route.
“Haikou will become the ninth Chinese city with a scheduled direct air connection to Penang, further strengthening Penang’s air connectivity with China.
“Following Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Xiamen, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Qingdao and Chongqing, the addition of Haikou marks another important milestone in the continued expansion of Penang’s air links with major cities in China,” Wong said.
The inaugural direct flight, HU477, is scheduled to depart from Haikou Meilan International Airport (HAK) at 5.30 pm on Oct 11 and arrive at Penang International Airport (PEN) at 8.45 pm the same day.
The return flight, HU478, will depart from Penang International Airport at 9.45 pm on the same day and arrive at Haikou Meilan International Airport at 1 am the following day.
The service will operate twice weekly, on Wednesdays and Sundays.
He said the new route would further enhance Penang’s accessibility as an international tourism destination, consolidate its existing Chinese tourist market and create more favourable conditions for the state to tap into the vast potential of China, one of the world’s largest tourism markets.
Wong said Haikou represented a market with significant potential for Penang, noting that China’s National Bureau of Statistics recorded the city’s permanent resident population at 3.0563 million at the end of 2025, while Hainan Province had approximately 10.55 million permanent residents.
“As the capital of Hainan Province, Haikou serves as an important gateway connecting Hainan with the outside world. For Penang, this represents a tourism market with considerable potential for further development,” he said.
Wong said the new air link would have significance beyond tourism, particularly in strengthening the longstanding friendly ties between Penang and Hainan.
The two established friendly state-to-province relations in 2013, followed by the strengthening of ties between Penang Island and Sanya through the signing of a memorandum of understanding on friendly city relations in 2017.
He said improved accessibility and greater ease of travel would help deepen co-operation between Penang and Hainan in areas including business, creative industries, culture, people-to-people exchanges and tourism.
Wong also highlighted the broader potential for economic and industrial exchanges, noting that the Hainan Free Trade Port was an important free trade platform in China, while Penang was an important electronics manufacturing and semiconductor hub in Malaysia, as well as a regional logistics node.
“With the establishment of a scheduled direct flight between Haikou and Penang, businesses and industry players on both sides will have more convenient access for business travel, industrial exchanges and logistics connectivity,” he added.