By V.Sivaji
China’s Spring Airlines launched its second direct flight to Penang earlier this morning, this time from the Southern city of Guangzhou.
Present to welcome the flight no 9C7097 which arrived at 11am was State Exco for Tourism and Creative Economy YB Wong Hon Wai, Tourism Malaysia Northern Region Director Abdul Hadi Che Man, PGT Chief Executive Officer, Ooi Chok Yan, Dato Ch’ng Huck Theng, Dato Mary Ann Harris, Senior Airport Manager, Mohd Nadzim Hashim and their team members.
Representing Spring Airlines was Kun Egaluk Ngwiprom, Spring Airlines Southeast Asia Region Marketing Manager.
Guangzhou city was formerly known as Canton and serves as a major port, trade hub and transportation centre for the region. The arrival of the flight was timely in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
Just last Friday (Jan 30), Spring Airlines launched its Shanghai-Penang route.
“In the first four months of Visit Malaysia 2026 alone, Penang is welcoming a new direct flight from a China city every month. This clearly demonstrates Penang’s growing appeal in the China market and the steady enhancement of its aviation connectivity,” he said.
Wong added that Spring Airlines launched its Shanghai–Penang direct flight on 30 January 2026, followed by the Guangzhou–Penang direct flight on 1 February 2026. This will be succeeded by Qingdao Airlines’ Qingdao–Penang route on 31 March 2026, while Chongqing Airlines is scheduled to commence its Chongqing–Penang direct flight on 8 April 2026.
A total of 170 passengers arrived on the flight this morning. The Guangzhou–Penang direct service operated by Spring Airlines runs three times weekly, on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Wong further highlighted Penang’s rapid expansion in international air connectivity in recent years, attributing it to sustained efforts by the Penang State Government.
“As of December 2025, Penang recorded 325 international direct flights per week. Following the launch of Spring Airlines’ daily Shanghai–Penang service and the thrice-weekly Guangzhou–Penang service, Penang’s international direct flight frequency has increased to 335 flights per week,” he said.
“This represents an increase of 68 weekly flights, or 25.5%, compared to 267 weekly international flights in August 2023, underscoring Penang’s steadily strengthening position as a regional aviation hub.”
He shared that Guangzhou’s population stood at 18.978 million, while Guangdong Province’s total population exceeded 127.8 million.
“In terms of economy, Guangzhou recorded a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of RMB 3.10325 trillion in 2024, placing it firmly among China’s top five cities by GDP and within the first tier of cities exceeding RMB 3 trillion in economic output,” he said.