Hainan Airlines links Haikou to Penang as the airport grows

Hainan Airlines has started direct flights between Haikou and Penang. The first plane landed on 11 October, and the service runs twice a week.

Haikou is the ninth Chinese city with a scheduled direct link to Penang. The state government says the route could help tourism, trade and the semiconductor industry.

Here is the schedule, why the route matters and how it fits the airport’s expansion plans.

Hainan Airlines flight times and first arrival

The first flight brought 110 passengers to Penang International Airport on 11 October. The service now runs on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Flight HU477 leaves Haikou at 5.30pm and lands in Penang at 8.45pm. It is an evening arrival, so travellers can still reach hotels the same night.

The return flight, HU478, leaves Penang at 9.45pm. It reaches Haikou at 1am the next day.

The outbound flight leaves Haikou in the late afternoon. The return leaves Penang late at night.

Both cities share the same time zone. The flight therefore takes about three hours and 15 minutes each way.

State tourism chairman Wong Hon Wai announced the route in August. He made the announcement after meeting Hainan Airlines representatives in Guangzhou, on the sidelines of a tourism roadshow.

However, the reports did not give the aircraft type or any fares. We will update this story when those details come out.

Why Haikou matters to Penang

Penang residents also gain another way to fly to southern China, and the island’s China network keeps growing. Haikou is the ninth Chinese city on Penang’s list. Earlier routes include Guangzhou, Xiamen, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Qingdao and Chongqing.

Haikou had about 3.06 million residents at the end of 2025. Hainan province has roughly 10.55 million people.

Penang and Hainan have kept friendly ties since 2013. Penang Island and the Hainan city of Sanya also signed a friendly-city pact in 2017.

Wong said the route could support tourism, trade, semiconductor cooperation and logistics. The reports gave no passenger targets for the route. Therefore, the link serves business travellers as well as holidaymakers.

Visitors will find new places to shop and play. The Waterfront Shoppes Penang soft-opens on 29 October.

The island also gained a link to Indonesia this month. Our report covers the Batam–Penang flight from Batik Air.

Airport expansion and the CAPA award

On 1 October, CAPA named Penang International Airport Asia’s Small and Medium Airport of the Year. The award was presented at an event in Chitose, Hokkaido.

The airport handled 4 million passenger movements in the first half of 2026. Of those, 2.2 million were international. As of September, 27 airlines flew to 22 destinations.

An expansion will lift annual capacity to 12 million passengers. The work covers the main terminal, the aircraft apron and supporting infrastructure.

Wong said the project should finish within two years. He said the priority is to fill the new capacity with new routes and more frequencies.

Meanwhile, Penang has asked Putrajaya for an air connectivity fund under Budget 2027. The state wants flights from Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Middle East.

Malaysia Airports managing director Mohd Izani Ghani said the airport must keep pace with Penang’s ambitions.

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