KUALA LUMPUR: A two-hour computer glitch in the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) reservation and check-in system caused delays for 20 flights departing from the KL International Airport yesterday.
And Transport Minister Datuk Chan Kong Choy said he expects a report from the airline on the breakdown “as soon as possible.”
Six domestic and 14 international flights were affected when the airline’s departure control system broke down from about 7.25am to 9.15am, resulting in passengers having to be manually checked in.
“The breakdown was due to a trip in the power supply to one of the departure control systems' equipment,” said MAS, in a statement issued after the problem was rectified.
The domestic flights affected were bound for Bintulu, Kuching, Kota Baru, Labuan, Langkawi and Sibu.
Among the international flights affected were those departing for Singapore, Shanghai, London, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Medan and Phnom Penh.
The others were bound for Denpasar, Bangkok, Hanoi, Beijing, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne.
“Passengers on these flights were delayed between 30 and 75 minutes as they had to be checked in manually.
“MAS has to deploy more manpower to handle the manual check-in and cope with the situation,” the airline’s statement added.
It is believed that although the system breakdown was nationwide and affected other airports in the country, the effects were “more noticeable” at the KLIA due to the high number of flights taking off during the peak hour.
“MAS apologises to all passengers affected by the delays,” it said.
Asked about the incident, Chan said MAS overcame the problem when it reverted to its manual system of checking in.
