AIRLINES' OPERATIONS IN PENANG, SABAH HIT BY GLOBAL IT OUTAGE

KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 (Bernama) -- Airports in Penang and Sabah experienced flight schedule disruptions today following a global IT system outage that wreaked havoc on airport operations worldwide.

This resulted in crowded conditions at many check-in counters at airports in the two states, with people queuing for manual check-in procedures.

In PENANG, state Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said that as of 5.30 pm, at least 11 flights have been delayed departing from Penang International Airport (PIA).

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"This affected flights from Penang to Kuching, Sarawak; Langkawi, Kedah; Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Jakarta, Indonesia," he said.

However, state Infrastructure, Transportation and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the situation was under control although there had been some flight delays involving airlines such as AirAsia at PIA.

In SABAH, checks at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) and Tawau Airport found that the check-in areas for AirAsia flights were crowded with passengers queuing for manual check-in.

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AirAsia ticket holder Adalia Amelia Rahmat, 26, said her flight from KKIA to Kuala Lumpur, scheduled to depart at 8.05 pm, was delayed due to the global IT service disruption.

"I arrived early at 5 pm because usually, check-in is required three hours in advance, but I still haven't been able to check in. Nonetheless, the other passengers and I are patient because this is a global issue," she said.

Earlier, AirAsia informed its passengers that they would experience delays in check-in and longer waiting lines due to the global IT glitch.

The problem affected several AirAsia flights from Kota Kinabalu, including to Kuala Lumpur, Tawau, and Incheon, South Korea.

In PERAK, state Industry, Investment, Tourism and Corridor Development Committee chairman Loh Sze Yee said that flight and ferry services were operating as usual with no complaints received so far.

However, the situation will continue to be monitored by the relevant authorities.

In PERLIS, Langkawi Ferry Line Ventures Sdn Bhd general manager Baharin Baharom said online ferry ticket purchases through the 'Cuti Cuti Langkawi' application for the Kuala Perlis-Langkawi-Kuala Perlis route were not affected, and ferry services were operating as normal.

State Infrastructure and Public Transport Committee chairman Izizam Ibrahim said they did not receive any complaints about Electric Train Service (ETS) disruptions in Padang Besar due to the global IT outage.

-- BERNAMA