Wong on his recent visit to the Penang International Airport
There has been a quick solution to the Penang International Airport’s (PIA) congestion at the immigration and auto gate matter.
With the arrival of more direct flights to the airport, the situation has been aggravated of late.
In light of this positive development, Penang State Exco for Tourism and Creative Economy YB Wong Hon Wai welcomed the recent posting on Facebook by the Director General of Immigration Malaysia to deploy 30 more staff and 20 new auto gates at the Penang International Airport.
The DG of Immigration, Dato Ruslin Jusoh had personally visited PIA yesterday (July 16) to survey the situation and held meetings with the relevant departments on the congestion and clearance at the immigration counters at the airport.
“The DG has approved the deployment of 30 more immigration personnel and the replacement of the existing 12 auto gates with 20 new auto gates which can process Malaysian and foreign passports from 63 countries as well.
“I welcome this move and thank the DG and the Minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution as well. We are currently seeing more direct flights from Xiamen, Xiamen, Dubai and Shanghai along with other cities. Penang’s tourism sector is vibrant and experiencing a swift recovery”, added Wong.
According to Wong the tourist arrivals at the PIA from January to May 2024 are 742,244 passengers, an increase of 28.19% or 579,011 passengers compared to the same period to 2023.
He also explained that many airlines have their arrivals schedules around the same time, thus the congestion at the entry and exit points.
Wong himself had visited the airport with tourism industry stakeholders on several occasions to find a solution to the matter and referred the matter to the minister.
“Overcoming the congestion is an important step so as to give our visitors a good image and impression of Penang. I also would like to stress that we will cooperate with the Immigration department and related departments to ensure a healthy and vigorous tourism sector for Penang.