PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines’ parent has blamed Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s (KLIA) baggage handling system after the state-owned airline fell behind its target for mishandled baggage this year.
Interestingly, Khazanah Nasional Bhd is the common shareholder of Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), which runs Malaysia Airlines, and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd
(MAHB) which operates KLIA.
In a briefing on Monday, Malaysia Airlines chief operating officer Captain Nasaruddin A. Bakar said MAG’s mishandled baggage target for 2025 was below 3.5 per 1,000 passengers.
However, the year-to-date performance till November 2025 stood at 5.45 baggage.
Nasaruddin is set to take charge as MAG’s president and group chief executive officer, as he succeeds Datuk Captain Izham Ismail who will be retiring from his position as MAG’s managing director effective Jan 31, 2026.
“Today, we are seeing about 800 of our baggage weekly being mishandled.
“So that has impacted our performance with regard to mishandled baggage and has also impacted our brand,” Nasaruddin told reporters.
Bryan Foong, group chief strategy officer, said MAG has made its “wishlist” known to MAHB.
“They are working towards it.”
Foong also said the Aerotrain interruptions at KLIA and the issue of congestion are not good for customer experience.
“Together, we want to work with MAHB to try to resolve the issues, build incremental capacity and elevate customer experience that we have today.”
Nasaruddin also said that more efforts are required to continue improving Malaysia Airlines’ on-time performance or OTP.
Year-to-date till end November 2025, the OTP was recorded at 81%, below the group’s 2025 target of 85%.
That said, Malaysia Airlines has performed better on other fronts. In terms of Customer Experience Index (CSI), it achieved 84%, slightly higher than the full-year target of 83%.
As for the Net Promoter Score (NPS), the reading stood at 36, higher than the targeted 27.
This showed that the airline group is on a positive outlook in enhancing customer experience, added Nasaruddin.
During the briefing, MAG also unveiled its Long-Term Business Plan 3.0 (LTBP3.0), a five-year (2026-2030) roadmap.
Izham said LTBP3.0 marks a shift from stabilisation to scaled and disciplined growth.
“It sharpens our premium position and deepens the value we create across our broader aviation ecosystem.
“At the heart of this plan is a focused network and fleet strategy that positions us for the next horizon of growth, enabling us to serve customers with greater reach, efficiency and an elevated customer experience, and our ambition to see Malaysia Airlines ranked among Skytrax’s Top 10 Global Airlines by 2030.
“It is a bold aspiration, perhaps a distant dream to some, but one we are fully committed to realising by building on what we have achieved, accelerating where we are strongest and investing strategically to secure long-term, sustainable value for our customers, partners and the wider nation.”
