Dato Yeoh Soon Hin
The inaugural direct flight from Xi’an to Penang, operated by China’s Loong Air, will be welcomed by Dato Yeoh Soon Hin, Deputy Chairman of the Malaysia Tourism Board on behalf of Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Dato’ Seri Tiong King Sing.
This marks a significant milestone in the expanding tourism and aviation collaboration between Malaysia and China, with Penang now directly connected to Xi’an, a major city in northwest China.
Yeoh said in a press statement that the launch of this direct flight route is the result of efforts by Tourism Minister Dato Seri Tiong King Sing, who visited China in both 2023 and 2024 to persuade Loong Air to commence direct flight to Malaysia.
During the latter’s visit, the Minister and the team of Tourism Malaysia has promoted collaboration between such routes. This is another key addition to Penang’s international air network, following the recent launch of direct flights from Shanghai Pudong to Penang by Shanghai Airlines.
Yeoh emphasized that the opening of the Xi’an to Penang route is a result of the close cooperation between Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Transport.
He highlighted that Minister Tiong led a delegation to Loong Air’s headquarters, where they held in-depth discussions about the new routes. Through collaboration with the Ministry of Transport, the process for foreign airlines to apply for routes was streamlined, providing vital support for the opening of the new routes.
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Dato Seri Tiong King Sing commented, “We will continue to promote Malaysia’s air connections with countries around the world, enhancing the mutual exchange of tourism, culture, and economy, while also fostering tourism development in all states.”
In addition to persuading Loong Air to introduce flights from Chinese cities to Kuala Lumpur, the Minister has also suggested that Loong Air consider Penang and other cities as a destination.
The Xi’an to Penang new route will be operated by an Airbus A320, with flights every Monday and Friday. The specific flight schedule is as follows: Flight GJ8005 will depart from Xi’an at 13:40 (local time) from Xianyang International Airport and arrive in Penang at 19:00 (local time), with a flight time of approximately 5 hours and 20 minutes.
The return flight, GJ8006, will depart from Penang at 20:00 (local time) and arrive in Xi’an at 00:50 (local time) the following day, with a flight time of around 4 hours and 50 minutes.