KLIA baggage fiasco: MAHB to boost manpower, submit weekly reports after Cabinet review
KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) has been directed to take urgent measures, including boosting manpower at critical passenger areas, following a major baggage handling disruption at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) last weekend.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the matter was raised by Transport Minister Anthony Loke during today’s Cabinet meeting, where concerns were voiced over the operational failure.
“MAHB will carry out a number of immediate steps, including increasing the number of personnel in arrival areas and other critical locations that have been identified, as well as submitting weekly progress reports to the Ministry of Transport for Cabinet updates,” he said during an online press conference today.
The disruption on Saturday, which lasted approximately five hours, was traced to a high-voltage fault at a Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) substation in Bukit Raja.
Preliminary findings showed a trip in a 132kV Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) unit at about 4:54 PM triggered a voltage dip, crippling operations at KLIA Terminal 1 until services were fully restored around 10:30 PM.
During the five-hour disruption, a total of 23,769 bags were processed.
However, the system failure resulted in 1,061 bags being short-shipped (left behind) and 120 bags recorded as missing upon arrival, causing significant inconvenience to travellers.
