PETALING JAYA: Penang International Airport welcomed 210 travellers who arrived on Wednesday (March 16) from Singapore, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.

       They were on the maiden Air Vaccinated Travel Lane’s (VTL-Air) flights between the two islands.

       In a Facebook post on Thursday (March 17), the Transport Minister said the two flights ferrying 56 and 154 passengers respectively had touched down at 6.20pm and 7pm.

       "All passengers were also confirmed negative for Covid-19 before being allowed to leave the airport's gates.

       "Similarly we would like to express our gratitude to Malaysia Airports Berhad, the Penang International Airport and the Health Ministry for ensuring the seamless implementation of VTL-Air," he said.

       The VTL initiative allowed fully-vaccinated travellers between two destinations to arrive without having to undergo mandatory quarantine.

       The VTL was initiated between the Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport route on Nov 29, and as of Feb 28, it had served 82,906 passengers from Singapore.