10,000 MORE ARRIVALS EXPECTED, SAYS MAHB

Figure includes Sea Games, Asean Para Games athletes, official and fans

MALAYSIA Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) expects to receive 10,000 additional arrivals within this month and next month.

The figure includes athletes, officials and supporters from the 11 countries participating in the Sea Games and Asean Para Games.

While the number is not as high as the 70,000 visitors that it receives daily, the arrivals for the Sea Games will be a test for the airport operator before it receives another eight million Chinese tourists by 2020.

Its managing director, Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, said the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and klia2 were undergoing a revamp and putting in measures to ease congestion to accommodate the higher-thanusual visitor numbers.

“Arrivals are expected to peak between Aug 14 and 19 for the Sea Games, and between Sept 10 and 24 for the Asean Para Games.

“We will provide facilitation for the arrival, as well as departure flows.

“For example, booths are placed at terminals to provide the contingents with information. Several Immigration counters will be dedicated to process the contingents. There will be 300 staff volunteers to welcome our visitors,” he said here yesterday.

“MAHB is collaborating with the KL2017 Malaysia Organising Committee, Department of Immigration KLIA and other organisations to make our visitors’ arrival at the airport a joyful one,” he added.

MAHB will be adopting a similar approach in welcoming Chinese tourists, first of whom will be arriving in the middle of next month for China’s Golden Week.

Golden Week is considered the country’s biggest annual national holiday as all workers are given three days of paid leave.

Badlisham said a Mandarinspeaking helpdesk would operate from 5pm to 1am to provide operational and directional assistance to Chinese tourists.

The capacity expansion plan is under way, including adding staff and greater automation.

“We are looking into data analytics, as well as big data to assist in handling the growing passenger traffic,” Badlisham added.