MAHB expects 5% passenger growth at Penang International Airport this year

GEORGE TOWN: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) expects the Penang International Airport (PIA) to register between 4% and 5% growth in passenger traffic this year despite the upgrading work in progress. Last year, the PIA recorded a 4% growth in passenger traffic, handling 4.5 million passengers.

MAHB senior general manager Datuk Azmi Murad said the tourism industry in Malaysia was unlikely to see any slowdown despite the challenging global economic climate. “The industry is growing due to strong domestic demand as well as increasing international connections,” he told reporters after a briefing session with the Penang Barisan Nasional (BN) Information Bureau on the progress in upgrading work at the PIA, here yesterday.

Azmi said the PIA had recorded a healthy 5% growth in passenger traffic for the first nine months of this year to 3.5 million from 3.3 million in 2011. He said PIA was likely to see a higher growth in passenger traffic upon completion of the upgrading at the airport, adding that the PIA registered an average growth rate of between 5% to 6%.

“MAHB is confident of an increase in tourist arrivals into Penang as the state offers various tourism products. There is also the possibility of current airline operators increasing flight frequency to Penang,” he added.

Azmi said there were also enquiries from new airlines to operate from the PIA and MAHB’s marketing team was looking at attracting more. Currently there are 15 airlines and 10 cargo operators from the PIA.

The RM250mil upgrading work at the PIA is 95% complete and targeted for completion by November this year. The projects come under the Northern Corridor Economic Region blueprint. Upon completion, the airport’s capacity would be doubled, to handle 6.5 million passengers.

-bernama.