Action may be taken against KLIA operator after system failure: Minister
A baggage system failure at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) caused passengers to wait up to four hours for their check-in luggage last Saturday (18 April).
The breakdown has prompted Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke to order an investigation into the incident, reported the Malaysian media.
Source: Kenc Low on Facebook
KLIA T1 ‘super crowded’ due to baggage system failure
On Saturday evening, passenger Kenc Low posted on Facebook complaining that he had waited more than one hour for his luggage at KLIA Terminal 1.
He had eaten his dinner at the lounge after landing but his belongings were still nowhere to be seen when he had finished, he said.
Source: Kenc Low on Facebook
He blamed a baggage system failure “again” at the airport, which caused the arrival hall to be “super crowded” with passengers waiting for their baggage.
Travellers’ baggage delayed for almost 3 hours
Another Facebook user, travel agent Elle Soffon, said in the same evening that her guests’ baggage was delayed for almost three hours due to a “baggage belt failure”.
This resulted in the “rare” sight of thousands of travellers waiting at the baggage claim area, she added, noting:
Some were frustrated, angry, tired, and hungry… Moments like this truly test everyone in the tourism industry.
Source: Elle Soffon on Facebook
Passengers allegedly received only a bottle of water
Worse still, passengers received only a bottle of mineral water after waiting nearly three hours, she claimed, also complaining that the official announcement came “much later than expected”.
Eventually, her guests from West Malaysia were forced to board their domestic flight home without their luggage.
That meant her company had to deliver their luggage directly to their homes, she said, adding:
I sincerely hope our airport, transportation, and tourism authorities can continue improving crisis handling and communication standards — because how we manage difficult moments defines the confidence visitors place in Malaysia.
Delay due to power outage: Airport operator
Airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) said in a statement carried by The Vibes that the baggage handling system delay was due to a power outage linked to an external power station.
The system was fully restored after recovery works were swiftly taken, with minimal disruption to outbound flights, it added.
MAHB added that check-in and departure operations resumed progressively, with minimal disruption reported to outbound flights.
Crowd-control measures were implemented within the terminal to manage congestion during the disruption — meaning passengers were advised to temporarily leave the arrival hall and return to collect their baggage later.
Source: Places And Foods on Facebook
Baggage delays of 2-4 hours at KLIA: Minister
In a statement quoted by the Malay Mail, Mr Loke said the inconvenience to arriving passengers was “deeply regretted”, noting that a “significant number” endured baggage delays of between two and four hours.
Normal service was restored on the same evening, but this did not close the matter, he maintained, adding:
Passengers who travel through our national gateway deserve a standard of service reliability that this incident has clearly failed to meet.
Source: Anthony Loke Siew Fook on Facebook
Minister calls for meeting & orders probe
Mr Loke has called an emergency meeting with the relevant agencies on Monday (20 April) to conduct a full review of existing procedures, he said.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has also been directed to investigate and determine whether action will be taken against MAHB, with the minister promising that it will be “held accountable” for the breakdown.
“A national gateway cannot afford repeated lapses of this nature,” he noted, adding that “a genuine culture of accountability and responsibility” must be cutivated before KLIA can realise the aspiration of being among the world’s best airports.
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Featured image adapted from Elle Soffon on Facebook and Kenc Low on Facebook.
