As the main gateway into northwestern Malaysia, PIA is thethird busiest airport in Malaysia by aircraft movements and recorded over 7.6 million tourist arrivals in 2024.[2][3] It also handled the second largest cargo tonnage of all airports in the country and the highest in terms of export value, withRM365 billion in exports in 2023.[4] Additionally, the airport is the main hub for local budget airlineFirefly and one ofAirAsia's operating bases.[5]
The Bayan Lepas airport was constructed onmudflats, which necessitated the installation of concrete runways to ensure all-weather operational capabilities.[7] Kallang airport was regarded as the "finest" in theFar East at that time, while the Bayan Lepas airport was perceived as Malaya's "second airport", enjoying advantages such as closer proximity toIndochina andEast Asia compared to Kallang.[7][8]
As early as 1938, the Straits Settlements government estimated that an additional 10 acres (4.0 ha) was necessary for the expansion of the Bayan Lepas airport.[9] At the time, the airport served both civilian air traffic and theRoyal Air Force (RAF).[10] At the onset ofWorld War II, the Straits Settlements imposed regulations to manage air traffic in Penang, designating specific corridors for aircraft overflying the colony.[11] The Bayan Lepas airport, along with theButterworth air base, was subjected toaerial attacks by Japanese forces in December 1941.[12]
Following the independence ofMalaya, transportation infrastructure throughout the new federation falls under the purview of thefederal government.[13] In 1967, the federal government announced an allocation of $2.3 million (Malaya and British Borneo dollar) to expand the Bayan Lepas airport.[14] The expansion was carried out in the 1970s, during which a terminal building of Minangkabau architecture was built and the runway extended to accommodateBoeing 747s, then the largest passenger jet aircraft. Upon the completion of the expansion works in 1979, the airport was renamed Penang International Airport (PIA).[6] The airport's new terminal increased its annual passenger capacity to 1.5 million.[15]
The development of the adjacentBayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone enhanced the PIA's role as a logistics hub.[16] However, the surging cargo tonnage resulting from industrial demand prompted thePenang state government, underChief MinisterKoh Tsu Koon, to propose a new, larger airport inSeberang Perai in 1993 to accommodate the increase in air traffic.[17] In 1997, thenMalaysian Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad announced plans to build a new airport in neighbouringKedah and close the PIA, overlooking Koh's earlier proposals for the Seberang Perai airport.[18][19][20] Fearing potential backlash from local civil societies and theoppositionDemocratic Action Party (DAP), Mahathir later relented, stating that the PIA would "still be maintained if investors need it".[18] The PIA was expanded in 1998 to accommodate 3.5 million passengers yearly.[15]
The airport was further expanded in 2012, increasing its capacity to 6.5 million passengers per year.[13][15] Nonetheless, it remained a source of contention between the Penang and federal governments afterPakatan Rakyat (nowPakatan Harapan) – which included the DAP –gained control of the state in 2008.[13] Calls by the Penang state government for further expansion of the PIA were ignored, even though passenger traffic quickly surpassed the airport's new capacity of 6.5 million.[13][21] The then Chief MinisterLim Guan Eng raised concerns that the federal government lacked urgency regarding the issue, as it was still considering the proposal for a new airport in Kedah.[13]
It was not until 2017 when the federal government announced plans to expand the PIA to accommodate 12 million passengers per year by 2028.[22][23][24] While the planned expansion met with delays due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, in 2023, the federal government approved an allocation of RM93 million to facilitate land acquisition and infrastructure development for the airport's expansion.[25] Costing RM1.5 billion, the PIA's expansion includes the addition of new infrastructure, such as the firstMitsuioutlet mall outside theKlang Valley, and upgrades to the main terminal andapron, which will increase the aircraft capacity from 16 to 28 at any given time.[24][26] TheMutiara line, alight rail system expected to be completed by 2031, will also includea station near the airport.[24][27]
1: This flight operates with a stop atPhuket. However, the airline has nofifth-freedom rights to transport passengers solely between Penang and Phuket.
2: This flight originates and ends atLangkawi. However, the airline has noeighth-freedom rights to transport passengers solely between Penang and Langkawi.
Passenger destinations of the Penang International Airport (PEN) as of June 2025[update]
PIA is thesecond busiest airport in Malaysia in terms of aircraft movements afterKuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).[2][3] The airport experienced its peak passenger traffic of 8.3 million in 2019, surpassing its annual capacity of 6.5 million passengers, before theoutbreak of COVID-19 caused global disruptions in air travel.[60][61] In 2024, PIA recorded over 7.6 million passengers, compared to nearly 6.8 million in 2023.[2][62]
The PIA–KLIA route is one of the busiest air corridors in Malaysia, having flown 2.2 million passengers in 2019. Additionally, the PIA–Changi corridor is the third busiest among Malaysia'sASEAN routes, with about 800,000 passengers flown in the first nine months of 2023.[63]
While it processes the second largest cargo tonnage after KLIA, in terms of export value,PIA's is the highest of all Malaysian airports, with RM365 billion worth of exports passing through PIA in 2023 alone.[2][4]
9 November 1985: Drug traffickers Kevin J. Barlow and Brian G. S. Chambers were arrested at the airport while attempting to smuggleheroin into Australia.Both were later sentenced to death.
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