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Penang International Airport (PEN)
Departures from Penang International Airport (PEN) at a glance
- 67flights a day3rd busiest of 30 airports
- 6routes from here
- 4airlines
- 06:25 – 22:35first and last
Collected 28 September 2026. Not live — check with the airline before booking.
Penang International Airport (PEN) sits at Bayan Lepas, on the southeastern tip of Penang Island, 16 km south of George Town. It is one integrated terminal on three levels, handling domestic and international traffic in the same building, and it is operated by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB). The operator's own airport guide puts the journey into George Town at about 20 minutes.
Close to half the traffic here is domestic, and Kuala Lumpur is the dominant domestic connection. On Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) figures for 2024, Kuala Lumpur to Penang was the country's third-largest domestic route by passengers, behind Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur to Kuching. The airport carried 8.31 million passengers in 2025 against a stated capacity of 6.5 million a year, and that gap is what the current expansion is meant to close.
Penang International Airport at a glance
| Detail | Penang International Airport |
|---|---|
| Code | PEN |
| Location | Bayan Lepas, southeastern tip of Penang Island |
| Distance from George Town | 16 km south of the city centre |
| Operator | Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) |
| Terminals | One integrated terminal, three levels, domestic and international under one roof |
| Runways | One |
| Passengers, 2025 | 8.31 million |
| Stated capacity | 6.5 million passengers a year |
| Capacity after the expansion | 12 million a year, targeted for 2028 |
| Aircraft movements, 2024 | 64,507, second among Malaysian airports on that measure |
| Rail link | None. A light rail station is under construction |
One terminal, three levels
Domestic and international passengers use the same building. Level 1 is arrivals, with separate domestic and international arrival halls, each with its own baggage reclaim, and a public concourse with six numbered exit doors. Level 2 is departures, with a domestic departure area and an international departure area, plus the check-in counters.
Level 3 holds airline offices, the transfer counter and the international lounges, reached by a sky corridor, and the gates are clustered as A, B and C. A domestic passenger stays on the domestic side of the building throughout, and there is no immigration check on the domestic side at Penang.
Malaysia Airports' guide gives check-in counters as opening two hours before departure and closing one hour before; your airline's own deadline is the one that applies. Shared self-service check-in kiosks cover most of the larger airlines. An oversize baggage counter and a baggage wrapping service are on the Level 2 public concourse.
Domestic flying from Penang
Direct domestic flights recorded from Penang go to the places below, with the airlines recorded on each. The Kuala Lumpur flights use separate airports, Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport at Subang. Check which one is on your ticket before you arrange anything at the other end.
| Destination | Airport | Airlines recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Kuala Lumpur | Kuala Lumpur International Airport | AirAsia, Firefly, Malaysia Airlines, Batik Air Malaysia |
| Kuala Lumpur | Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang | Firefly, Batik Air Malaysia |
| Langkawi | Langkawi International Airport | AirAsia, Firefly |
| Kota Kinabalu | Kota Kinabalu International Airport | AirAsia |
| Kuching | Kuching International Airport | AirAsia |
| Johor Bahru | Senai International Airport | AirAsia |
| Kota Bharu | Sultan Ismail Petra Airport | Firefly |
Kota Kinabalu is in Sabah and Kuching is in Sarawak, and a Malaysian citizen from Peninsular Malaysia landing in either state meets an immigration check on arrival, even after a domestic flight. Under Section 66 of the Immigration Act 1959/63, a citizen needs a pass or permit to enter Sabah and Sarawak. For a visit of up to three months, the document can be obtained at the immigration counters in the airport arrival halls there.
Firefly names Penang as one of its bases; it is one of the airlines in Malaysia Aviation Group. Airlines add and drop domestic routes, so confirm the operator on the airline's own site before you book.
Where Penang ranks, and on what
Penang ranked second among Malaysian airports for aircraft movements in 2024, with 64,507, behind Kuala Lumpur International only. Aircraft movements count take-offs and landings. Treat that second place as a 2024 position on that one measure.
Passenger numbers are a separate measure. In December 2025 Kota Kinabalu handled 802,000 passengers against Penang's 772,000. The movements ranking is not a passenger ranking.
The expansion: complete, under way, and not yet started
The expansion runs as three work packages, with an overall target of 2028. As at 3 July 2026 one package was complete, one was under way and one had not begun.
| Work package | Scope | Where it stood on 3 July 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| First package | Support and ancillary buildings, utility relocation, infrastructure works and a remote digital virtual tower, including relocating the government agency offices based at the airport | Complete. Certificate of Completion and Compliance obtained on 1 July 2026 |
| Second package | Airside works: apron expansion, taxilanes, drainage and airfield lighting | Under way, about 70% done |
| Third package | The new terminal building, landscaping, roadworks and relocation of high and low voltage infrastructure | Not started. Design finished, procurement opened on 25 June 2026 |
Aircraft parking stands are to go from 16 to 28, six of the additions contact stands and six remote, and those come with the airside package. The new terminal, 115,000 sq m against the present 54,000 sq m, belongs to the package that has not started.
Annual capacity is meant to reach 12 million from the stated 6.5 million today, targeted for 2028. A further expansion after this one has been described as due in 2034.
The airside works run to mid-2027
CAAM's current aeronautical supplement for Penang, in force from 22 January 2026, sets out the airside programme in four phases, the last of them ending on 1 July 2027. Rehabilitation of the existing apron taxiway is scheduled from 22 January 2026 to 22 June 2027, followed by a realignment of the apron taxiway centreline by 1 July 2027. The full schedule is in CAAM's aeronautical information supplement for Penang.
On that schedule the airfield work ends ahead of the expansion's overall 2028 target.
Getting to and from the airport
Buses
Rapid Penang buses serve the airport on routes 401 and 401E. The 401E runs from the ferry jetty in George Town down the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, through Queensbay Mall and Bayan Lepas to the airport, then on to Balik Pulau; the 401 continues to Teluk Kumbar. The stop is the Airport Bus Terminal just outside the arrival hall, and the express bus counters are on the Level 1 public concourse.
Both routes pass through the airport on the way somewhere else, so a bus reaches it part-way through its run.
Taxis and e-hailing
Airport taxis typically work on a coupon system. You buy at a counter in the arrivals hall, state your destination, pay a fixed price for that zone and then join the rank. Late-night journeys typically carry a surcharge.
E-hailing pickups are not at the kerb outside arrivals. The designated point is on Level 1 of the multi-storey car park. Allow for the walk if your bags are heavy.
Parking
There is a multi-storey car park with a premium tier on its own Level 3, and a valet service. Current rates are on Malaysia Airports' Penang parking page.
Rail: none today
There is no rail link to Penang International Airport. The Mutiara Line, a light rail line that will have a station at the airport, broke ground in January 2025, and by June 2026 pier and viaduct works were under way with the airport station among the faster-progressing sites on the route. Opening is reported as 2031, so it is not a factor for anyone flying now.
Facilities in the terminal
Prayer rooms are on both departure sides of Level 2 and on the Level 1 arrival floor. There is a lounge on the domestic departure side on Level 2, past the point where only passengers can go, and lounges on Level 3 for international departures; the international lounge on Level 3 has showers. A rest facility sits on both the domestic and international Level 2 departure floors.
Left luggage is marked on both Level 1 and Level 2. Money changers and cash machines are on both levels, including on the domestic departure floor, and mobile operator counters are on the Level 1 arrival floor. Car rental desks are on the Level 1 public concourse.
Free wifi covers most public and seating areas of the terminal. Baby rooms are next to the toilets throughout the building, and there are designated smoking areas on both Level 2 departure sides. Medical clinics are on the Level 1 arrival floor.
Common questions about Penang International Airport
Is the new terminal at Penang International Airport open?
It is not. The terminal is the third of the three work packages, and as at 3 July 2026 it had not started: the design was finished and procurement opened on 25 June 2026. The package that completed in July 2026 covered support buildings, utilities and infrastructure works, not the terminal.
Which part of the terminal do domestic flights use at Penang International Airport?
Domestic departures have their own area on Level 2, and domestic arrivals have their own hall and baggage reclaim on Level 1. It is one building shared with international flights, but the two flows are kept apart. There is no immigration check on the domestic side at Penang, although Malaysians from the peninsula flying on to Sabah or Sarawak meet one on landing there.
Is there a train to Penang International Airport?
Not yet. The Mutiara Line light rail will have a station at the airport and construction started in January 2025, with opening reported as 2031. Until then the options are bus, taxi, e-hailing, car rental or your own vehicle.
How early can I check in at Penang International Airport?
Malaysia Airports' guide gives check-in counters as opening two hours before departure and closing one hour before; your airline's own deadline is the one that applies. Shared self-service kiosks cover most of the larger airlines, and web and mobile check-in are offered as well. If you are travelling with cabin baggage only, check your airline's own rules on size and weight before you get to the airport.
Is there a lounge on the domestic side at Penang International Airport?
Yes. Level 2 has a lounge in the domestic departure zone, past the point where only passengers can go. The international lounges are on Level 3, reached by a sky corridor.