Penang International Airport (PEN)

The airport at a glance

• Penang International Airport (PEN) handled 8,269,978 passengers in 2025, up 7.97% on 2024. The 2019 peak was 8.33 million, so traffic is now back above pre-pandemic levels.
• It is on the south-eastern tip of Penang Island, 16 km south of central George Town, and is run by Malaysia Airports.
• Firefly has its main hub here and AirAsia has an operating base. The airport is Malaysia's second busiest by aircraft movements after Kuala Lumpur International (KLIA), and the Penang–Kuala Lumpur route is one of the country's busiest, with 2.2 million passengers in 2019.
• The single 3,354 m runway (04/22) is in the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone area, and the airport is a major cargo gateway. It handled 103,423 tonnes of freight in 2025.

Getting into Penang (George Town)

• Rapid Penang runs four bus routes between the airport and parts of George Town. Route 102 links the airport with Teluk Bahang, with a first bus at 06:00, a last bus at 23:35 and a service about every 75 minutes.
• Taxi and ride-hailing: the airport is about 16 km from central George Town. Confirm current taxi coupon prices at the arrivals counters.

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Arriving in Malaysia

• Most foreign visitors must complete the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) online. It has been compulsory since 1 January 2024 and is a declaration, not a visa.
• Submit the MDAC at the Immigration Department portal (imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main) no more than three days before arrival. Exempt groups include Singapore citizens, diplomatic and official passport holders, Malaysian permanent residents and long-term pass holders, Thailand border pass holders and Indonesian cross-border document (PLB) holders.
• Thai passport holders do not need a visa for tourism and can stay up to 30 days under the ASEAN exemption. They still need to submit the MDAC unless they hold a Thai border pass.

Lounges

• Plaza Premium Lounge (domestic departures): airside on the 2nd floor, Shop S14 and S14A, opposite security clearance. It is open 05:00–23:00 daily, with a maximum stay of 2 hours, and Priority Pass members can use it.
• Plaza Premium Lounge (international departures): Level 3 mezzanine, near Gate A3. Cathay Pacific lists it as a partner lounge open 06:00–22:30, and Priority Pass lists an international Plaza Premium Lounge open 06:00–23:59. Check hours on the day of travel.
• Showers cost extra at the domestic lounge.

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Practical information

• SIM cards: telco counters (Digi, Celcom, U-Mobile and Maxis/Hotlink) operate in the arrivals hall, on the left after customs. Take your passport, because registration requires it.
• Left luggage: a service called Super Strap is next to International Arrivals. It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What's coming

• A RM1.5 billion expansion is planned. It includes upgrades to the main terminal and apron, taking aircraft stands from 16 to 28, and a Mitsui outlet mall, the first outside the Klang Valley. The federal government approved RM93 million in 2023 for land acquisition and infrastructure work.
• The Mutiara Line light rail, expected to be completed by 2031, is planned to include a station near the airport.