Up close and personal: From the cockpit to the tarmac and even the cargo bay, MYElites members experienced a unique glimpse into aviation operations at KLIa. — GLENN GUAN/The Star
KLIA welcomes plane spotters with open wings for a special tour
SEPANG: Kuala Lumpur International Airport can add another feather to its cap as an undisputed plane spotter’s paradise.
Recently, a group of local aviation enthusiasts were feted by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to yet another special tour of areas normally out of bounds to the public, such as near taxiways and areas reasonably close to runways to enable close-up photos and videos to be shot.
This exclusive plane-spotting activity was also conducted simultaneously at the Penang and Kuching airports last Thursday.
“I’ve loved planes since I was young, but I only started plane spotting a few years ago. Since then, I’ve been really enjoying taking photos and videos of planes during my spotting sessions,” said John Ho, 58, an optician from Kuala Lumpur who was among the two dozen enthusiasts seen at KLIA.
Ho is also a member of MY Elites, a plane-spotting group sanctioned by MAHB.
“Plane spotting in Malaysia has been great, with MAHB and MY Elites playing a big role in making it even more enjoyable, especially with events like the one here, where they provide access to the airside.
It’s a fantastic way to get up close to the action and really appreciate the aviation world,” he said.
The plane spotters were even ferried to the special firefighting unit of KLIA, where they were briefed on the workings of the specialised fire trucks and equipment used by first responders to aviation incidents.
MAHB, which has been actively engaging plane spotters for several years now, invited a core group of Malaysian plane spotters from different airports in 2018 to be members of MY Elite, which gets privileged access to normally restricted airport areas.
In April 2019, MAHB unveiled Anjung Spotter, an outdoor observation deck near KLIA’s perimeter fencing that is open round-the-clock to enable plane spotters to have the perfect panoramic view of aircraft taking off from KLIA’s Runway 32L.
Anjung Spotter became the talking point of aviation enthusiasts all over the Asia-Pacific region, with many asking their respective airport authorities to emulate MAHB’s effort in supporting their love for aviation photography.
