Penang State Exco for Tourism and Creative Economy YB Wong Hon Wai held a meeting with representatives of Hainan Airlines in Guangzhou today, on the sidelines of his tourism roadshow to showcase Penang’s tourism offerings. Both sides held in-depth discussions on the launch of a scheduled direct flight between Haikou and Penang as well as finalised plans for the new route.
He said the new route would further strengthen the air connectivity between Hainan and Penang, while opening up greater opportunities for Penang to tap into the China tourism market.
“Haikou will become the 9th China 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 across China,” he said.
The inaugural direct flight from Haikou to Penang, operating under flight number HU477, is scheduled to depart from Haikou Meilan International Airport (HAK) at 5.30pm on 11 October 2026, and arrive at Penang International Airport (PEN) at 8.45pm the same day.
Also present at the ceremony was Penang Global Tourism (PGT) Chief Executive Officer, Ooi Chok Yan, Penang MATTA Chairman, Ms Carolyn Leong among other tourism players.
Wong said air connectivity was an important link connecting people, businesses and tourism resources between two destinations.
“With the upcoming launch of the Haikou–Penang direct service, Chinese travellers will enjoy greater convenience and accessibility when visiting Penang. This will further enhance Penang’s accessibility as an international tourism destination.
“Beyond consolidating our existing China tourist market, the new route will also create more favourable conditions for Penang to further tap into the vast potential of China, the world’s second-largest population market,” he said.
Wong said Haikou represented a market with significant potential for Penang.
“According to data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics, Haikou recorded a permanent resident population of 3.0563 million as at the end of 2025, while Hainan Province had a permanent resident population of approximately 10.55 million.
“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.
He added that the scheduled direct service was also built upon previous charter flight operations between Penang and Haikou.
“Before the launch of this scheduled service, Penang and Haikou had operated charter flights during several periods, allowing both sides to accumulate experience in air connectivity and establish a foundation in terms of market demand.
“The transition from charter services to a scheduled direct flight marks a new chapter in air connectivity between Penang and Hainan, while providing Penang with a more stable and sustainable platform to further develop the Hainan market,” he said.
Wong said the new air link would also carry significance beyond tourism, particularly in strengthening the longstanding friendly ties between Penang and Hainan.
“The establishment of a scheduled direct connection between Haikou and Penang is not solely about tourism. It also carries long-term significance in deepening our longstanding friendly relations and expanding exchanges across multiple sectors.
“Penang and Hainan established friendly state-province status in 2013. Subsequently, Penang Island and Sanya City in Hainan further strengthened these ties through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on friendly city relations in 2017. Over the years, both sides have continued to build on these longstanding ties and promote exchanges and cooperation across various fields,” he said.
“Therefore, the Haikou–Penang scheduled direct service will serve not only as an air bridge connecting the two sides, but also as an important link that strengthens our friendly state-to-state and city-to-city relations.
“With improved accessibility and greater ease of travel, the new route will help deepen cooperation between Penang and Hainan in areas including business, creative industries, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and tourism. It will enable both sides to build on existing strengths, create new opportunities and take our longstanding friendship to greater heights,” Wong added.
Wong also highlighted the broader potential for economic and industrial exchanges.
“It is worth noting that the Hainan Free Trade Port is an important free trade platform in China. Penang, meanwhile, is an important electronics manufacturing and semiconductor hub in Malaysia, as well as a regional logistics node.
“With the establishment of 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. This will create more favourable conditions for exploring future cooperation in trade and industry, as well as expanding opportunities for collaboration between the two sides,” he said.
He also said the new route would also breathe fresh life into the deep cultural links between Penang and Hainan.
“Beyond economic and trade cooperation, the Haikou–Penang scheduled direct service will also inject new vitality into the deep-rooted Hainanese cultural ties between the two places.
“The Hainanese community is an important part of Penang’s diverse Chinese community. Early Hainanese migrants travelled south to Southeast Asia and, during the British colonial era, many worked in Western households and high-end dining establishments. Through these experiences, they acquired Western culinary techniques while gradually incorporating local Nanyang flavours and influences into their cooking.
“As the Hainanese community subsequently established their own coffee shops and restaurants, these culinary traditions evolved over generations into what is now recognised as Hainanese Western cuisine — a distinctive culinary tradition that combines Nanyang flavours with Western cooking techniques,” he said.
Wong added that many of Penang’s iconic food traditions were closely associated with the heritage and contributions of the Hainanese community.
“Today, Penang is renowned globally as a food paradise, and many of its beloved culinary offerings bear the imprint of the Hainanese community’s heritage and contributions. These include Nanyang coffee, Hainanese chicken rice, Hainanese Western cuisine and charcoal-grilled Hainanese bread, all of which have become an integral part of Penang’s rich culinary landscape.
“Therefore, the opening of the Haikou–Penang scheduled direct service will not only make it easier for visitors from Hainan to travel to Penang, but will also give them the opportunity to discover a place far from home yet deeply connected to their Hainanese cultural roots.
“They can experience a culinary heritage shaped by generations of Hainanese migration and enriched by Nanyang influences — and, in doing so, discover a distinctive taste of Hainan in Penang,” Wong concluded.