KUALA LUMPUR: The government is aiming to provide a more seamless experience for passengers shuttling between Terminals 1 and 2 of the KL International Airport (KLIA) as part of an effort to integrate the two.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke (pic) said the aim is to create an interlink, where passengers no longer have to leave one terminal to head to the next.
“I spoke with various airlines, including the Malaysia Aviation Group, AirAsia, and Batik Air, with all expressing support for this.
“While we have two terminals now, it is as if they are two different airports.
“There is currently airside connectivity, but for passengers with connecting flights (at a different terminal), they have to leave one terminal and head to the next,” Loke told reporters after the National Aviation Consultative Council meeting here yesterday.
He said the ministry fully supports this initiative, adding that it will also be made a priority by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).
He said such integration will not require major infrastructure changes as the focus is on improving the system with measures such as using buses to move passengers between the terminals being considered.
“For example, there are buses on standby between the Terminal 1 main building and the satellite building, but they are not fully utilised as the aerotrain is now operational.
“We can use this same (bus) system to integrate both terminals for passengers.”
Loke acknowledged that the matter still needs to be fine tuned to take into account luggage, immigration and customs procedures.
On another matter, Loke said a ministry task force will oversee the project to replace Terminal 1’s baggage handling system.
“Apart from the aerotrain, the next important project is this system, which is also handled by MAHB,” he said, adding that the ministry must be given weekly progress updates on this.
On the status of the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, he said local airlines will be prioritised for vacant slots at the facility.
“There is interest from many airlines, but we have to be very mindful when granting slots to them as we do not want to be feeders for other international hubs.
“The interest of KLIA as a regional hub must also be protected.”
