Penang State Exco for Tourism and Creative Economy YB Wong Hon Wai aims to launch direct flights from another Indian city to Penang.
He met IndiGo Airlines’ Deputy Director of Sales in Chennai, Srinivasan Jayaseelan recently, to discuss the expansion of direct flight services from other Indian cities to Penang, as well as preliminary coordination on future route planning and market development.
“Following Chennai, there is strong potential for another Indian city to be connected directly to Penang. Once the arrangements and details are finalised, Penang State Government and IndiGo Airlines will make an official announcement accordingly.” he said in a press statement.
Besides, Wong recently led a Penang State Government delegation together with tourism industry players from Penang to Chennai, India, to conduct a tourism roadshow themed “Simply Penang.” The initiative aimed to actively promote Penang’s diverse and distinctive tourism offerings to the Indian market, with the objective of attracting more leisure and business travellers and further expanding Penang’s international visitor base.
“In order to open up and deeply penetrate the Indian market – the world’s most populous country, the Penang State Government has, over the past few years, pursued sustained planning and proactive engagement. These collective efforts culminated in the successful launch of IndiGo Airlines’ direct flight service between Chennai and Penang on 21 December 2024, establishing a highly efficient and convenient air bridge between Penang and India.”
“The Chennai – Penang direct flight operated by IndiGo Airlines is currently the only direct air link between India and Penang, and also marks the first time in Penang’s history that a direct connection has been established with Chennai. Since its launch, the route has recorded encouraging performance and has become a key driver in attracting Indian tourists and expanding Penang’s South Asian market.”
“Since the commencement of the Chennai – Penang direct flights on 21 December 2024, the route has operated more than 770 flights, carrying over 100,000 passengers with an average load factor of approximately 70%. Its overall performance has been stable, with strong market response. As a result, Indian tourist arrivals to Penang have grown rapidly within a short period, propelling India into Penang’s top 10 source markets, currently ranking 6th.”
“With the launching of the direct flight service, tourism exchanges between India and Penang have become increasingly frequent, and the number of Indian visitors to Penang has reached new highs. Data shows that in 2025 alone, 25,772 Indian tourists arrived at Penang International Airport via international flights – an increase of more than 2.3 times compared to 11,127 visitors in 2024, and approximately 3.5 times higher than the 7,348 visitors recorded in 2023.”
“The growing popularity of Penang among Indian tourists is evident not only from air travel data, but also from cruise arrivals. From January to November 2025, Penang welcomed 18,688 Indian cruise passengers, making India the second-largest source market at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal. In summary, when all entry channels are taken into account, the total number of Indian visitors to Penang in 2025 exceeded 44,000.”
“This clearly demonstrates that the establishment of direct air links between Penang and major Indian cities, complemented by consistent and effective market promotion, will bring about sustainable and significant growth in visitor arrivals. The potential of the Indian market is substantial and should not be underestimated,” Wong added.
Wong shared that according to the latest estimates by the United Nations, India has now become the world’s most populous country, with a population of approximately 1.45878 billion. Such a vast population base represents an immense and enduring source of tourism demand, which forms a key strategic consideration behind Penang’s proactive efforts to penetrate and cultivate the Indian market.”
“In view of this, the Penang State Government intends to further expand Penang’s tourism market share in India and continue strengthening its systematic engagement with the market. To this end, through the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB), a series of ‘Simply Penang’ tourism roadshows were organised across several major Indian cities, including Mumbai, New Delhi, Kochi and Chennai. These roadshows aim to facilitate business-to-business (B2B) engagements, connect tourism stakeholders from Penang and India, foster closer industry ties, and pave the way for greater collaboration and mutual benefits.”
“Now, approximately one year after the launch of the Chennai – Penang direct flight, the timing is opportune. As such, the Chennai leg of the ‘Simply Penang’ India tourism roadshow was personally led by me, together with the Penang State Government delegation and Penang tourism industry players. Through direct market engagement and face-to-face exchanges with India tourism industry players, we are able to better understand the needs and dynamics of the Chennai market, enabling the State Government to implement more targeted, effective and impactful tourism promotion strategies moving forward.”
“In addition, this India tourism roadshow also served as a platform for the Penang State Government to establish direct connections and exchanges with key players and organisations across various segments of India’s tourism industry, including MICE agents, the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), and the Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTAI).” said Wong.
Source – Office of the Penang State Exco for Tourism and Creative Economy