PETALING JAYA: Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook says a baggage handling system failure at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1 caused delays of two to four hours for many arriving passengers on 18 April.
In a statement on Sunday (19 April), Loke said the disruption delayed baggage delivery for a significant number of arriving passengers.
“The system was restored later that evening,” he said.
Loke said he had instructed the Transport Ministry secretary-general to call an emergency meeting with relevant agencies on Monday morning (April 20).
“The meeting would review standard operating procedures for breakdown management at airports. He said the review would focus on response time, passenger communication, and contingency protocols, said Loke.
Loke said the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia had been directed to investigate the incident. He said the authority would examine whether punitive action against Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd was warranted.
He said Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), as the operator of KLIA, would be held accountable for the breakdown.
“This incident points to something that must be addressed at a deeper level.
“We cannot realise our aspiration of being among the world's best airports without first inculcating a genuine culture of accountability and responsibility across the organisation,” Loke said.
In another statement on Sunday, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) confirms that operations at KLIA T1 have stabilised following Saturday evening’s temporary Baggage Handling System disruption.
“The system has been restored, and airport operations, including check-in and departures, have returned to normal,” it said in the statement.
“CAAM continues to closely monitor the situation and engage with MAHB and the airlines to ensure full operational stability and compliance with all safety and service standards,” it added.
CAAM said it will enforce compliance and take appropriate regulatory action in the event of any non-compliance and MAHB must also implement corrective and preventive measures to avoid recurrence.
