Penang: Penang is set to enhance its international air connectivity with the launch of a new direct flight linking Qingdao, China, to Penang starting March 31. State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said tickets are already available for purchase on the airline's official website.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, this announcement comes at the very start of Visit Malaysia 2026, making it a timely and meaningful boost for the tourism sector. "Qingdao will become the northernmost Chinese city currently connected to Penang via direct flights, reflecting the continued northward expansion of Penang's China aviation network and further enhancing its overall air connectivity," Wong said in a statement today.
Wong detailed that the Qingdao-Penang service (QW923) will depart Qingdao at 9 am and arrive in Penang at 3.35 pm, with the return flight (QW924) leaving Penang at 4.35 pm and arriving in Qingdao at 10.55 pm the same day. The service will operate three times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
He noted that discussions to strengthen ties with Shandong Province began as early as June 2024, when he met a delegation from the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Shandong Province. This delegation shared its efforts to expand engagement with Southeast Asia. These early engagements laid the groundwork for the opening of the direct route, with the Penang Global Tourism team traveling to Qingdao in early December 2025 for preliminary discussions with Qingdao Airlines, followed by Wong's official visit to Qingdao in January 2026 to finalize operational details and explore joint tourism promotion initiatives.
Wong highlighted that with the launch of the Qingdao flights on March 31 and the Chongqing-Penang flights by Chongqing Airlines on April 8, Penang's international network will expand to 22 direct international cities, including Bangkok, Taipei, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, and Doha, in addition to charter flights from several Chinese cities.
He added that Penang currently has scheduled direct flights connecting six Chinese cities-Chengdu, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. "The addition of Qingdao and Chongqing will make them the seventh and eighth Chinese cities with direct air links to Penang, forming a comprehensive network covering East, South, and Southwest China," he said.