System down, flights delayed

Passengers face travel delays following system disruption

The first-ever widespread system disruption at both terminals at Kuala Lumpur International Airport left MAHB staff working round the clock to grapple with a host of issues including flight delays, check-ins, baggage handling and Internet connection. Following the incident, cybersecurity experts say that airports must have procedures in place to prevent system disruptions that could cost the nation or dent its image.

SEPANG: In a first-ever disruption of its airport management system, the operations of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) came to a halt for hours, with scores of flights delayed and passengers left stranded and frustrated.

The interruption, which hit on Wednesday night, continued yesterday.

Until yesterday evening, the system had not been fully stabilised, according to a statement from Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).

“The team will continue to work round the clock to rectify the situation. Among the solutions is the replacement of hardware equipment.

“We have received delivery of the equipment, which will undergo testing tonight.

“We hope to be able to resolve the situation by tomorrow morning (today),” said the airport operator, expressing again its regret in inconveniencing passengers.

MAHB added that it had increased ground staff totalling almost 1,000 to assist passengers and airlines.

At 10.30am, there were 20 flights delayed at KLIA’s main terminal.

The flights were scheduled to take off for Japan, Australia, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Britain and Dubai, as well as domestically to Penang, and Kuching and Sibu in Sarawak.

The disruption to the Total Airport Management System (TAMS) at both terminals in KLIA affected flight display information and slowed down the check-in process, among others.

It was the first such widespread system problem to hit KLIA since its inception in June 1998.

Although both terminals were affected, KLIA2, which was opened in May 2014, was not as badly hit, according to a spokesperson of MAHB.

“The system has seen intermittent disruptions the entire day.

“Airport staff directed passengers to the right counters for check-in and to the boarding gates,” said the spokesperson.

Bernama reported that the disrupted connections affected several airport services such as WiFi connection, flight information display system, check-in-counters and the baggage handling systems.

At about noon, long queues could be seen at the information counter at KLIA, with airport CARE or customer service ambassadors patiently attending to the endless queries.

Malaysia Airports (Sepang) Sdn Bhd customer service manager Rosmawati Mohamad Saufi said the situation was under control.

Explaining that this was the first time the TAMS had experienced a disruption, she said check-ins were delayed because the process was handled manually.

Rosmawati added that the frequent questions from passengers related to where they could check in, flight times and departure gate information.

In an earlier statement, MAHB said all relevant stakeholders such as the Civil Aviation Authority and representatives of airlines operating at KLIA, including the chairman of the Airline Operators Committee, had been briefed on the latest progress and mitigation plans.

“Our team has been working to not only rectify the situation but also to minimise the inconvenience caused to passengers,” it added.

It also advised passengers to get information from its social media feeds and to reach the airport at least four hours before their departure time.

Passengers were encouraged to check in via the respective airlines’ mobile app or website.

In Seremban, Transport Minister Anthony Loke apologised to passengers inconvenienced by the situation.

He said he was unaware of the root cause of the problem as he had yet to receive a detailed report on the incident.

Speaking to reporters after launching the Seremban-level “Fly the Jalur Gemilang” campaign at SMK Panchor, Loke said he had asked MAHB to provide a clarification to the public on what actually happened.