PETALING JAYA: The Transport Ministry has moved to tighten procedures and response mechanisms following a baggage handling system (BHS) disruption at KL International Airport Terminal 1 on Saturday (April 18), which caused delays of up to four hours for passengers.
Transport Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Jana Santhiran Muniayan said a special meeting was immediately chaired on Monday (April 20) morning following instructions from Transport Minister Anthony Loke to address the incident.
He said the meeting was attended by the Deputy Secretary-General (Policy), senior management of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), the Aviation Division of the Transport Ministry, as well as representatives from airlines and ground handling operators.
“The disruption affected the BHS at KLIA Terminal 1, resulting in delays in baggage delivery to passengers,” he said in a statement posted on his Facebook page.
He added that the ministry takes the incident seriously, particularly as it had caused inconvenience to passengers due to baggage delays of up to four hours.
In a statement Monday, the Transport Ministry said that the root cause of the incident had been identified and immediate as well as long-term mitigation measures are being implemented.
"At 4.54pm on Saturday, 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 ministry said.
It added that six uninterruptible power supply (UPS) unitswere affected, exposing vulnerabilities in the system's resilience.
Although the system was restored on the same night, Jana Santhiran said the matter would not end without comprehensive follow-up action.
He said the focus of the meeting was on strengthening standard operating procedures (SOPs), particularly in terms of response time, passenger communication, and contingency planning.
He added that improved coordination among all stakeholders involved in airport operations is essential to prevent similar disruptions in future.
“This incident provides an opportunity for us to comprehensively review and strengthen existing weaknesses,” he said.
Jana Santhiran stressed that the ministry’s priority is to ensure a more efficient, responsive and reliable service delivery system.
He said this is important to safeguard public confidence in airport operations and Malaysia’s aviation sector as a whole.
The ministry is expected to continue monitoring follow-up actions implemented by relevant agencies to ensure improvements are carried out effectively.
