MATTA: Passengers only rule will ‘kill’ retailers

PETALING JAYA: The proposal to allow only air passengers into airports will turn the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) into a ghost-hub, warned the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA).

Its president Datuk Hamzah Rahmat feared the move, touted to boost security against possible terrorist attacks, would give a poor first impression of Malaysia to foreign visitors.

“There are countless other ways of improving security.

“KLIA is the first point of entry for tourists and the first experience of Malaysia,” he told The Star.

He pointed out there were already fewer people at KLIA, after the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) started operating before being replaced by KLIA2.

Retailers at KLIA who pay premium rentals, he said, “will die” because there were not enough passengers to be profitable.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had on Friday announced the proposal to allow only air passengers inside terminals.

At least 41 people were killed and many more injured, last month, when three terrorists attacked Istanbul Ataturk Airport in Turkey with guns and explosives.

Hamzah suggested making it mandatory for all visitors to go through security checks before entering the airport.

In Indonesia, he said, it was common for people entering buildings to go through metal detectors.

“It may be inconvenient but it’s better than barring all non-passengers from entering airports.”

Hamzah added that KLIA2 was not conducive to passengers and many required the assistance of friends or family to help them with luggage or navigate through the airport.

“In KLIA2 the distance from the drop off point at the departure level’s main door to the check in counter is more than 500m,” he said.

Hamzah, who returned from Bangkok on Friday, was also disturbed to see long queues at KLIA’s immigration counters.

“There was a sea of people and not all the counters were open. If I were a foreign tourist, I wouldn’t recommend others to visit Malaysia,” he said.

Other international airports, he said, had a single queue before passengers were ushered to the immigration counters.

“That way passengers can clear immigration on a first come first serve basis instead of getting delayed if the passengers ahead of them are held up by officers.”

Hamzah said he had received complaints that on July 11, a passenger coming into Malaysia from the United States was held up in a queue for three-and-a-half hours and many others had missed connecting flights.

Immigration director-general Datuk Sakib Kusmi said the ‘Snake Queues’ system, which was in accordance with international standards, had already been implemented at KLIA.

He said there was actually only one queue and passengers were directed to any available counter to clear immigration, adding that what they strived for was to clear passengers within half an hour.