AirAsia has launched flights from Penang to Phuket to expand its footprint in Southeast Asia and promote tourism between the two islands.
"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," said Spencer Lee, the AirAsia chief of commercial.
The flight will 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.