IPOH: Perak has proposed that the Federal Government consider shifting some short-haul regional flights from Penang International Airport to Sultan Azlan Shah Airport here as a cost-effective way to improve the state’s air connectivity.
State tourism, industry, investment and corridor committee chairman Loh Sze Yee said the proposal would allow Penang International Airport to focus on higher-yield long-haul international flights while enabling Ipoh Airport to gradually expand its regional network without major infrastructure investments.
“We are very pragmatic. It doesn’t make sense for us to talk about flights to destinations like New York,” he told reporters after the opening of Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents’ (MATTA) Connect 2026 at the Ipoh Convention Centre on Wednesday (July 29).
Loh said Ipoh Airport's 1,950m runway limited the types of aircraft that could operate there, making regional routes of two hours or less, particularly within Asean, a more realistic target.
“The Federal Government has invested heavily in Penang International Airport. Why not shift some future regional flights of two hours or less to Ipoh? Penang can then free up slots for longer-haul, higher-yield international services, while Perak gets better regional connectivity,” he said.
He also stressed that the proposal was not to take away existing services from Penang but to consider future route allocations or flight rescheduling.
“It will be a win-win-win situation. Penang benefits, Perak benefits,” he added.
Loh said the state had repeatedly raised the proposal with the Federal Government but had yet to receive a positive response.
“We will continue engaging with the relevant authorities because we believe this is a practical solution that benefits everyone,” he said.
Meanwhile, Loh noted that Ipoh Airport had been allocated RM60mil for upgrades, comprising RM52mil for expansion works and an initial RM8mil for optimisation, with the first phase intended to increase the airport’s annual passenger capacity from 500,000 to 700,000.
