New direct flights between Jakarta and Penang start November 24, boosting tourism and medical travel ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026.
GEORGE TOWN: TransNusa Aviation will launch direct flights between Jakarta and Penang starting November 24.
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai confirmed the new route connecting Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Penang International Airport.
“The launch of this new route adds another vital link between Penang and Indonesia, strengthening regional air connectivity and fostering closer people-to-people and cultural ties,” he said.
Flight 8B-633 will depart Jakarta at 5.30 am and arrive in Penang at 9.00 am.
The service will operate three times weekly on Monday, Wednesday and Friday initially, increasing to daily flights from December 2025.
Return flight 8B-632 will depart Penang at 9.30 am and arrive in Jakarta at 10.55 am following the same schedule.
Wong emphasised the timing aligns perfectly with Visit Malaysia 2026 and Malaysia Year of Medical Tourism 2026 preparations.
Penang remains Malaysia’s most successful medical tourism destination, contributing about 45% of national healthcare-travel revenue.
Indonesia consistently ranks as Malaysia’s largest medical tourism source market, accounting for 65.8% of national medical tourism revenue.
Northern Malaysia receives up to 90% of healthcare travel receipts from Indonesian visitors.
Indonesia has long been Penang’s top international arrival source, with 284,364 visitors from January to September 2025.
This represents a 2.5% increase compared to 277,533 Indonesian visitors during the same period last year.
“In this context, the launch of TransNusa’s direct Jakarta-Penang route perfectly meets market demand,” Wong said. – Bernama
