Penang International Airport is close to completing an $80 million upgrade that is expected to transform air travel to the Malaysian island.

The modernisation programme will equip it with a sleek new terminal that operator, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), believes will take operational efficiency and customer service standards at the gateway to a new level.

Indeed, Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Hj Abdul Razak, considers the project so important that he has described it as “a significant milestone in the aviation history of Malaysia”.

Commenced in June 2010 and targeted for completion by June 2012, MAHB promises that Penang’s revamped terminal will encompass state-of-the-art architecture, facilities and interior design.

It reveals that the façade of the terminal will feature a “more modern and contemporary” new look.

And according to MAHB, Penang’s upgraded terminal will boast a variety of new retail and F&B outlets offering a combination of international and local brands; a new inline baggage handling system; and a host of new immigration, customs and security desks designed to speed up passenger processing times during peak periods.

Other benefits of the revamp for passengers will be more public seating, better toilet facilities and the addition of an extra 800 spaces to the existing 1,200-vehicle capacity car park.

The expanded terminal – it will effectively double in size to 52,000 square metres – will equip Penang International Airport to handle in excess of 5mppa.

Datuk Azmi Murad, MAHB’s senior general manager for operation services, says: “The terminal will have two significant new features – an inline baggage screening system and a design that allows for the segregation of international and domestic passengers for the first time.

“The inline baggage screening will improve passenger flow as people will no longer have to screen their baggage before check-in, while the segregation of international and domestic passengers will enhance security.”

The revamp is vital because a total of 4.1 million passengers (+25%) passed through the airport last year, and with Malaysia’s tourism boom showing no sign of slowing down, the race is on to upgrade its facilities to ensure that it is equipped to meet future demand.

The current traffic levels ensure that Penang is the third busiest airport in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu.

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