CAAM Probes KLIA BHS Breakdown, Punitive Action Not Ruled Out - Loke

PUTRAJAYA, April 19 (Bernama) -- 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 said the Ministry of Transport (MOT) views the incident seriously, noting that the disruption caused baggage delays of between two and four hours for a significant number of arriving passengers.

He said the inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.

“While the BHS system was restored the same evening, a technical restoration does not close the matter. Passengers who travel through our national gateway deserve a standard of service reliability that this incident has clearly failed to meet.

“CAAM has been directed to launch an investigation into the matter and examine whether punitive action is warranted against Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) for this failure in service delivery,” he said in a statement today.

Loke said that he has instructed MOT Secretary-General Datuk Seri Jana Santhiran Muniayan to convene an emergency meeting with the relevant agencies first thing Monday morning. 

“The meeting will undertake a thorough review of the existing standard operating procedures governing breakdown management at our airports, with specific focus on response time, passenger communication, and contingency protocols,” he said.

He said a national gateway cannot afford repeated lapses of this nature, and MAHB, as the operator of KLIA, will be held accountable for this breakdown. 

Loke said beyond the immediate remedial steps, the incident points to something that must be addressed at a deeper level. 

"We cannot realise our aspiration of being among the world's best airports without first inculcating a genuine culture of accountability and responsibility across the organisation.

“The standard we (the aviation sector) set for ourselves must be reflected in how we respond, how we own our failures, and how we lead along the line of command. 

“If we are serious about our ambition to be a world-class airport, we must be equally serious about nurturing a culture of responsibility to match such an aspiration,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, CAAM, in a separate statement today, confirms that operations at KLIA Terminal 1 have stabilised following a temporary disruption to the BHS that occurred yesterday evening.

“The system has since been restored, and airport operations, including check-in and departures, have returned to normal,” it said.

The regulator has exercised strict oversight of the recovery process and continues to engage with MAHB and the airlines to ensure full operational stabilisation and compliance with all applicable safety and service standards.

“MAHB is obligated to comply with the established Quality of Service (QoS) standards, including the timely and efficient handling of passenger baggage, amongst others. 

“In line with this, CAAM is enforcing compliance with these requirements and will take appropriate regulatory and enforcement actions in the event of any non-compliance,” it said.

CAAM said MAHB is also required to implement the necessary corrective and preventive measures to avoid recurrence.

“CAAM remains committed to upholding the highest standards of safety, service quality and efficiency in Malaysia’s aviation sector, and will continue to ensure accountability across all regulated entities,” it emphasised.

-- BERNAMA