Following recent and widespread complaints about prolonged immigration processing times for arriving tourists at Penang International Airport, State Exco for Tourism and Creative Economy YB Wong Hon Wai made a follow-up visit to the airport terminal to assess the situation earlier today.
Accompanied by Penang Global Tourism CEO Ooi Chok Yan and members of his team, Wong inspected the immigration eGate facilities and engaged with officials from various departments responsible for operations at the airport.
He received briefings on the current mechanisms and also spoke to the media during the visit. He also spoke to tourists arriving at the airport to get their response too.
The visit comes amid growing concerns over congestion at the airport’s immigration hall, particularly after multiple flights arriving in close succession caused queues and delays that drew criticism from travelers and tourism stakeholders.
Tourism leaders have stressed that such bottlenecks risk diminishing Penang’s reputation with international visitors during Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
Penang Chief Minister YAB Chow Kon Yeow has also recently urged relevant authorities to address these operational issues quickly to ensure a smoother arrival experience for tourists and to uphold the destination’s image.
In response to delays, new automated immigration gates (eGates) for foreign travelers began limited rollout at PIA on February 12, 2026. According to Wong’s update on social media, the auto gates for both arrivals and departures were activated at 6 am that day, and by 3 pm more than 1,800 passengers — Malaysians and foreigners had used the autogates.
Under the expanded system, travelers from about 63 countries, including Malaysia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Macau, Thailand, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, The Philippines, Vietnam and various European nations, are expected to be eligible to use the auto gates once full certification and testing are complete
The eGate rollout at Penang is part of a broader national initiative under the National Integrated Immigration System (MyNIISe) to modernize and streamline immigration clearance across Malaysia’s international gateways. The system is also being integrated with QR-code based processes and digital platforms like MyBorderPass, with phased implementation at key airports continuing through early 2026.
It’s great to see action being taken to address these delays! Hopefully these new eGates will really speed things up for visitors to Penang.