PUTRAJAYA: The Transport Ministry has confirmed that a power-related disruption caused the breakdown of the Baggage Handling System (BHS) at KL International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 on Saturday (April 18).
In a statement Monday (April 20), the ministry said that upon investigation, the root cause has been identified, and immediate and long-term mitigation measures are being implemented to prevent recurrence and strengthen system resilience.
"At 4.54pm on April 18, a 132kV gas insulated switchgear (GIS) reserve at the Bukit Raja substation tripped, resulting in a voltage dip that affected KLIA operations.
"This disturbance caused a failure in the BHS controller, leading to a major system shutdown affecting both departure and arrival baggage processing," the statement said.
The statement was issued following an emergency coordination meeting chaired by Transport Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Jana Santhiran Muniayan on Monday.
The ministry said that although the system was supported by uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units, six units were affected, exposing vulnerabilities in the system's resilience.
"Between 5pm and 10.30pm on April 18, the airport processed a total baggage volume of 23,769 pieces. While the majority of operations continued, a total of 1,061 pieces were reported as "shortshipped", and 120 pieces were identified under arrival handling loss," it said.
The ministry said MAHB and its ground handling partners have since delivered the vast majority of these items, with a small number of bags remaining in the final stages of clearance or collection.
"Notably, flight schedules remained unaffected, with no delays or cancellations reported due to the incident. An internal review identified key challenges in on-ground coordination, response times, and real-time system visibility.
"While the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) was activated, the scale of the disruption exceeded existing scenarios. In an immediate response, MAHB and airline partners deployed manual fallback procedures and additional manpower to stabilise passenger flow and minimise further inconvenience," it said.
The Transport Ministry has mandated a comprehensive overhaul of baggage-handling protocols and infrastructure at KLIA in light of this operational disruption and has maintained strict oversight of these improvements.
"On April 22, the Ministry will table a Cabinet Note regarding the incident. Additionally, the MAHB managing director has been directed to provide weekly progress updates on the stabilisation of baggage operations.
"At the same time, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) is currently undertaking an investigation into this matter and will work with MAHB to ensure full operational stabilisation and compliance with all applicable safety and service standards," the statement said.
The ministry assures all stakeholders that proactive and decisive measures are being accelerated to prevent recurrence and ensure KLIA continues to operate at the highest standards of efficiency and reliability.
On Sunday (April 19), Transport Minister Anthony Loke said CAAM, as the country's sole aviation regulator, has been directed to investigate the incident. - Bernama
