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SEPANG: The situation at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) remained calm as of 3.30pm today, as normal operations resumed after it was hit by network equipment failure for four days from Wednesday night, a technical glitch that caused long queues and flight delays.
Inspections by Bernama found the airport terminal busy at around 4pm with the flight information display system (FIDS) operational again while queues at the check-in counters and kiosks moved smoothly as the check in process was no longer being done manually.
The media, which been covering the situation since day one, were still waiting for an official statement from Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) regarding the current situation after announcing on Aug 23 that it had replaced its network equipment.
On Aug 21, a technical glitch to the Total Airport Management System (TAMS) resulted in flight delays, long queues and frustrated travellers.
It had also affected key functions such as the WiFi connection, FIDS, check-in counters and the baggage handling system.
Carmen Wong, 30, said her self check-in was smooth and she received her E-boarding pass without any problems.
Asked whether she aware of system disruption last four days, she said: “Yes ... I called MAHB yesterday and they advised me to come earlier. When I did the check-in, the system was smooth, no problems at all.” Wong and her friend were flying to Phnom Penh.
Another passenger, Chris, 35, from Scotland said he aware of the technical glitch at the main airport.
“I had no problems with the check-in. I also reached the airport not too long before departure and not four hours as advised earlier,“ said Chris, who was departing for Bangkok at 4pm.
Since the technical glitch occurred, MAHB had been assisting passengers cope with the situation, including distributing food and beverages.
On its social media pages, including Facebook and Twitter, MAHB said one of the solutions implemented during this incident was the activation of 38 remote bays to cater to the aircraft that aren’t able to proceed to the scheduled gates.
“We’re also providing buses to ferry the passengers to the terminal from the bus & vice versa.”
The airport operator also thanked its passengers and netizens, and in one of its tweets said: “So many kind and encouraging words from our dear passengers within this short span of time during the network outage. We are humbled. The airport community says thank you.”
MAHB also thanked all parties who volunteered to support and assist in ensuring operations at KLIA remained smooth, with another tweet: “Selamat pagi! Big smiles at our immigration counters at KUL. Thank you Imigresen KLIA for giving your best services during the recent network outage at the airport.”
Its Airport CARE Ambassadors were also seen around the airport area distributing food for affected passengers while several food and beverage companies also sponsored food and drinks as a token of their support. — Bernama
