Indonesia volcanic eruption disrupts flights, but no mass stranding at Penang airport

GEORGE TOWN: Penang International Airport's (PIA) flight operations remain normal despite haze affecting Penang and other parts of Malaysia, with take-offs and landings continuing without disruption.

Penang Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said airport management had informed the state government that the haze had not affected operations.

"The state government will continue to monitor the situation and liaise with the airport and airlines to minimise the impact of haze and unforeseen incidents on Penang visitors and the tourism industry," he said in a statement today.

He said this after leading state government and tourism industry representatives in a meeting yesterday with newly appointed PIA senior airport manager Ahmad Fikri Samsudin to discuss operations, capacity, future development and expanding international direct flight links.

Wong said there had been no large-scale stranding of Indonesian passengers at PIA after several Penang-Jakarta flights were cancelled due to the Mount Anak Krakatau's eruption.

He said affected airlines, including AirAsia, TransNusa and Batik Air, notified passengers by email, SMS and other channels after volcanic ash disrupted operations at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Mount Anak Krakatau erupted three times on Tuesday morning, with Indonesian authorities maintaining its activity at Level III, or Siaga (Alert), the second-highest level in the country's four-tier volcano alert system.

Meanwhile, Wong said the state government is preparing for two new international direct routes to begin in October.