Kuala lumpur: The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), as the country's sole aviation regulator, has been directed to investigate the breakdown of the Baggage Handling System (BHS) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 yesterday. Transport Minister Anthony Loke stated that the Ministry of Transport (MOT) views the incident seriously, highlighting that the disruption resulted in baggage delays of between two and four hours for a significant number of arriving passengers. He expressed regret over the inconvenience caused.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, while the BHS system was restored the same evening, Minister Loke emphasized that a technical fix does not close the matter. He insisted that passengers traveling through KLIA deserve a standard of service reliability that this incident failed to meet. Consequently, CAAM has been instructed to launch an investigation and determine if punitive action should be taken against Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) for the service delivery failure.
Minister Loke also revealed that he has instructed MOT Secretary-General Datuk Seri Jana Santhiran Muniayan to convene an emergency meeting with relevant agencies on Monday morning. The meeting aims to review existing standard operating procedures for managing breakdowns at airports, with a focus on response time, passenger communication, and contingency protocols.
Loke stressed that repeated lapses of this nature are unacceptable for a national gateway like KLIA and that MAHB will be held accountable for the breakdown. He underscored the need for a deeper level of accountability within the organization and highlighted the importance of fostering a culture of responsibility to achieve the aspiration of being among the world's best airports.
Meanwhile, CAAM confirmed in a separate statement that operations at KLIA Terminal 1 have stabilized following the temporary BHS disruption. The system has been restored, and airport operations, including check-in and departures, have returned to normal. The regulator is maintaining strict oversight of the recovery process and engaging with MAHB and airlines to ensure compliance with safety and service standards.
CAAM emphasized that MAHB must comply with established Quality of Service (QoS) standards, including the efficient handling of passenger baggage. CAAM asserted that it will enforce compliance and take appropriate regulatory actions in the event of non-compliance. MAHB is also required to implement corrective and preventive measures to prevent recurrence.
CAAM remains committed to upholding high standards of safety, service quality, and efficiency in Malaysia's aviation sector, ensuring accountability across all regulated entities.