SEPANG: The improvised Green Lane system has been introduced at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 starting Monday (Jan 26), to ease congestion at the customs clearance area for international passengers, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
This initiative is done by the Malaysian Airports along with the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, where there will be two green lanes and a red lane.
“The green lane is for passengers who have nothing to declare or are not carrying any prohibited items, whereas the red lane is for passengers who need to declare the prohibited items,” he said on Monday at a press conference held at the KLIA Terminal 1.
“Under the previous system, all arriving international passengers were required to queue at a single lane and have their luggage screened through an X-ray scanner, a process that often resulted in long queues of up to 15 to 20 minutes, especially during peak hours,” said Loke.
“This caused congestion at the baggage claim area as passengers had to queue twice, once to collect their bags and again for customs inspection,” he said.
“Following months of discussions, the agencies agreed to introduce an improved mechanism involving two Green Lanes and one Red Lane at KLIA Terminal 1.
Loke said the move is intended to better manage crowds at Terminal 1, which currently handles between 80,000 and 90,000 passengers daily, with international travellers making up about 60% of the total.
“The introduction of the Green Lane would not compromise national security, noting that there would still be officers monitoring passengers through risk assessment measures.
“The Green Lane system has begun today and will be implemented on a trial basis for one month until Feb 26. Loke said the process has been smooth so far,” he said.
