Penang international airport (Bayan Lepas)

I've always a liking for aerial photography. There are so many things that can be seen from a great height: things that you miss out when looking at them from the ground level. It is a different perspective altogether. That's why pictures taken from high-rise buildings or from an aircraft have continued to fascinate me to no end. That's also the reason why I find Google Maps to be a godsend. I can spend hours pouring over maps and enjoying their Street View wherever available.

Recently, I came across this picture by Famil Sulaiman. He was an ex-colleague from the good old BHL Bank days. It needs a lot of luck to be able to take this type of picture. Everything must fall into place at the same time: the time of the flight, the direction of the flight, where you are seated inside the aircraft, the weather, the camera you use. Well, Famil certainly was in the right place at the right time! So here it is, an aerial photograph of the south-eastern end of Penang island:


BTW, if there's anyone who needs to check up on the daily arrivals and departures from the Penang International Airport (PIA) (previously known as the Bayan Lepas International Airport), this website is an absolute "must" to keep in your browser's bookmark.

I've always had an impression that the PIA isn't a terribly busy airport and that only few carriers utilise the place. But like I said, it's a false impresson because from what I can gather from this website, many carriers (big or small) do pass through the airport carrying passengers or cargo. There is an air cargo terminal on the opposite side of the runway. Apart from the obvious Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airline, AirAsia and Firefly, other airlines stopping by here include All Nippon Airways, Jetstar Asia, Sriwajaya Air, SilkAir, Korean Air, Lion Airlines, Wings Air, China Airlines, Cathay Pacific, etihad Airways, Tiger Airways, KLM, Air Hong Kong, Air Mauritius, Gulf Air, American Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Thai Airways, Lufthansa and EVA Air. Problem is, I can't tell whether these are passenger or cargo services. It's not very obvious.