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Chronicles<br />
Penang International Airport<br />
Standing Proud & Tall<br />
After 70 Years<br />
One of the premier gateways to<br />
Malaysia, the Penang International<br />
Airport continues to rule the Malaysian<br />
skies as the leading cargo centre after<br />
KLIA. Since the 1930s, the grand dame<br />
of the Malaysian civil aviation still stands<br />
on the same site for more than 70 years.<br />
In comparison, it is now bigger, more<br />
modern and in tune with the demands<br />
of the day than before.<br />
According to historical records,<br />
commercial aviation in Malaysia began<br />
in Penang when the Imperial Airways<br />
(the forerunner of British Airways)<br />
began its flying boat operations at<br />
Penang’s Gelugor Marine Station in<br />
1930. The airport became a full-fledged<br />
international airport in 1933, just as<br />
when the Imperial Airways began its<br />
weekly return services on the Penang<br />
–Bangkok–Hong Kong route using the<br />
Armstrong Whitley Atlanta aircraft.<br />
Penang Airport in 1935<br />
Picture taken in 2014<br />
From there on, Penang airport began<br />
to flourish, grew rapidly and later<br />
supplanted Kuala Lumpur’s Sungai Besi<br />
Airport as the leading Malaysian<br />
gateway for international air traffic. The<br />
aerodrome that was built in Bayan Lepas<br />
was located about 14km south of<br />
Georgetown and till this day, Penang<br />
Airport remains at the original site.<br />
Penang Airport continued to be an<br />
international airport albeit Kuala<br />
Lumpur’s Sungai Besi airport surpassing<br />
it as the leading airport in the country<br />
during the 1950s. The airport has<br />
undergone a modest scale renovation<br />
ever since.<br />
Launching of new terminal of Penang<br />
International Airport in 2001<br />
The current Penang International Airport<br />
Minangkabau-styled terminal building of<br />
Penang International Airport in 1979<br />
The 1960s and 1970s saw Penang grow<br />
in stature as an island in the sun, actively<br />
attracting visitors from far off shores to<br />
its beaches and languid lifestyle till this<br />
very day. It was also favoured as a rest<br />
and recreation destination for Vietnambased<br />
American soldiers.<br />
At present, Penang International Airport<br />
has undergone several upgrading and<br />
expansion phases. The upgrading project<br />
involves the extension of existing<br />
terminal building that can handle 6.5<br />
million passengers per annum and the<br />
number of check-in counters has<br />
increased from 32 to 61 counter. This also<br />
includes installation of additional<br />
passenger boarding bridges and<br />
construction of remote parking bay.<br />
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