The direct daily service, initially announced in April, launched on Sunday (July 1).
“As Phuket and Penang are hubs in Thailand and Malaysia, it is great to see the efforts channelled to enhance the connectivity between one hub and another,” Spencer Lee, AirAsia chief of commercial, told the Bangkok Post. (See story here.)
The flights directly connect Thailand’s top tourist island with Penang, a Unesco World Heritage site.
The new route is in line with the policies of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia whose governments want to see more links other than their capital airports to promote the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle economic scheme.
The flight schedule for the Phuket-Penang flights remains unchanged since they were announced in April. (See story here.)
AirAsia Flight AK1910 will depart Penang at 8:25pm (Malaysia time) and land at Phuket International Airport at 8:30pm (Phuket time) each night.
Conversely, AirAsia Flight AK1911 will depart Phuket at 9pm (Phuket time) and land in Penang at 11:05pm (Malaysia time) each night.
See flight schedule here.