After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Penang-Singapore air route is set to be restored.

Before the pandemic, it was one of the most served routes after Penang-Kuala Lumpur, with at least five flights daily.

AirAsia flight AK 1730 will arrive at 1.15pm tomorrow and Singapore Airlines (SIA) SQ 0138 will arrive later at 7pm.

Penang executive councillor for tourism and creative economy Yeoh Soon Hin said AirAsia and SIA would fly in daily after tomorrow, with Scoot airlines also making daily flights from Thursday.

He said Malaysia Airlines would fly in from April 1, adding the frequency of flights under the VTL arrangement was four flights daily, shared equally between Malaysian and Singaporean airlines.

Yeoh said these flights will give a boost to Penang’s economy, with eateries, hotels and tourist attractions benefiting the most.

He said Penangites were also ideal travellers as 86% had already received at least two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The VTL scheme allows travel between Penang and Singapore without quarantine. The first such scheme, between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, began last November and allowed travel for close to 83,000 people.