GEORGE TOWN: The first plane ferrying passengers on the Vaccinated Travel Lane by air (VTL-Air) from Singapore landed at Penang International Airport (PIA) at 6.40pm Wednesday (March 16).
The plane, AirAsia’s flight AK1730 with 60 passengers aboard, was greeted with a water cannon salute.
It was the first flight to land in PIA under the Penang-Singapore VTL-Air scheme.
The passengers were clearly excited at the grand welcome upon touching down at PIA. Sales officer Chris Cusack, 41, lauded the relatively smooth process at the airport in Bayan Lepas.
"It was easy. We just had to download the MySejahtera application after touching down at the airport here from Singapore.
"We already had our PCR tests in Singapore and the one done here was also pretty quick," he said when met at the PIA yesterday.
Once given the green light to travel, Cusack said the first thing he wanted to do was to head straight to a beach resort in Batu Feringghi with his wife.
Malaysian nurse Peggy Lee, 25, said she was excited to be home after two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I have been waiting for this Singapore-Penang VTL-Air.
"It is easier now and the process is not a hassle at all," said Lee, who will be spending her long holiday with her family in George Town.
Her sister Engie Lee, 30, also felt relieved to be finally back home.
On Tuesday (March 15), state tourism and creative economy committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said the VTL-Air arrivals are expected to give a significant boost to Penang’s hospitality sector.
The VTL initiative allows fully vaccinated travellers between two destinations to travel without having to undergo quarantine.
The VTL-Air first started between Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Nov 29 and as of Feb 28, it has served 82,906 passengers from Singapore.
In the past, Singapore was Penang’s largest tourism market, with about 70% of tourists visiting the state coming from the island republic.