Penang was a British possession from 1783 to 1957 when it became independent as part of Malaysia. For much of Biggles' time, Penang was an important trading port and communications hub.
Penang International Airport, previously known as Bayan Lepas International Airport or simply Penang Airport is located on the island of Penang, off the west coast of Peninsula Malaysia. Established in 1935 with a 950-yard paved runway and a 800-yard grass strip, it is one of the oldest airports in the country.
By 1936, Imperial Airways was using Penang as a stopover for their London to Australia route, and also as a connection to their Penang to Hong Kong route. The airport is still an important airhub today, being the 3rd busiest airport in Malaysia, with domestic and international links to numerous destinations, with much of the traffic being passengers visiting the popular tourist destination of Penang Island.
Penang and Biggles[]
- Biggles Flies Again - In The Oriental Touch, Biggles and Algy had departed Penang for Rangoon. They rescued Hoi Sing (in reality Li Chi) from the sea. Li Chi asked them to bring him to Penang.
- Biggles - Charter Pilot - In The Adventure of the Golden Shirts, Biggles and co. used Penang as a base for five weeks in their search a community of people who wore armour made of gold plates.
- Biggles in Borneo - Biggles was told that thousands of tons of rubber and tin which the Japanese had captured at Penang were to be brought east across the Malayan peninsula on the Limpur River in a convoy of barges and he was to attack it.
- Biggles Delivers the Goods - a troop convoy carrying two battalions of Japanese infantry from Singapore to attack Biggles' base at Elephant Island stopped at Penang to pick up Admiral Tamashoa.
- Biggles Makes Ends Meet - Algy and Bertie stopped by Penang, after covering Kutaradja Airport and Phuket Airport, on their round of enquiries about an aircraft operating over the Nicobars. They would later fly from Penang to their rendezvous with Biggles and Ginger at Kuala Lumpur Airport. Later, Bertie shadowed Colonel Black's Dakota from Kutaradja to his secret island base on the pretext that he thought the Dakota was heading for Penang. He also wanted to go to Penang but didn't know the way.
- Biggles Presses On - In Mission Oriental, Biggles used Penang as his jump off point for his mission to Kulang.
- Biggles and the Lost Sovereigns - Biggles used Penang Airport for refuelling while operating in the Mergui Archipelago.
- In Biggles and the Blue Moon, Biggles mentions that Malaysian Airways served all the main towns in Malaysia, such as Penang but he wouldn't count on being able to rent a suitable aircraft from them (chapter 2).
A view of some R.A.F. Dakotas at Penang Airport. This photo was probably taken shortly after the end of World War 2. Image is courtesy of the Imperial War Museums available under the IWM Non-Commerical Licence. Source URL.