KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 — Malaysians are rallying behind beleaguered Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) that has been attempting to resolve a systems disruption that has affected operations at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) for two days now.

Since the start of the disruption, MAHB has worked tirelessly to ensure smooth traffic and informed passengers as both airport terminals KLIA and KLIA2 have experienced several system failures including the Wi-Fi connection, flight information display system (FIDS), check-in counters and baggage handling system.

While managing to rectify some issues, some intermittent disruptions, particularly to its FIDS system, have been reported.

A circular has been making the rounds calling for volunteers to assist the almost 1,000 additional MAHB employees that have been deployed at both terminals.

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MAHB, while thanking the public for their support and concern, said it has sufficient manpower and due to security concerns, has to turn down the public’s offer to help.

“We are very appreciative of this gesture and thank the public for their concern and effort. However, we would like to reassure that our internal mobilisation of about 1,000 additional staff on the ground is sufficient.

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“Moreover, airports being a high security area require all who work here to have valid security passes. We would also appreciate if the phone lines stated in the poster be kept free from calls by members of the public as it is being used for coordinating our mobilisation efforts.

“Again, we thank you for your concern and do follow us on our social media platforms for any updates. #MYairportssays #MYairportsupdates,” it said on its official twitter handle @MY_Airports.

A MAHB member of staff distributes water and snacks to passengers at KLIA in Sepang August 23, 2019. — Bernama pic
A MAHB member of staff distributes water and snacks to passengers at KLIA in Sepang August 23, 2019. — Bernama pic

Meanwhile, there has been an outpouring of praise on social media for the job that the airport authorities and their staff has done to alleviate the problem.

Twitter user Hazmy said, “My wife was there during checking in at 4.30am. You guys did a good job managing the crisis, staff are polite even though you can see that they are very tired. Hopefully there are better solution managing IT BCP in the future. @MY_Airports.”

Another user Hisyam Hamid said: “Major system down here at #klia. But what impressed me most is how all the staff gathered together to assist the passengers. Help was literally available if needed at most corners. Well done guys! May the issue be resolved soon.”

Some even showed concern for MAHB staff. One user identified only as ‘Jay’ tweeted: “Staff KLIA orait tak (Are the KLIA staff okay?) I feel bad for the staff. It must be hard for them.”

Others tried to look on the bright side, finding time to praise airport facilities, such as Yusri Jamal who posted: “I’ve travelled to many airports, but no trolley can match KLIA’s trolley. Even with a full load, it can still travel on an escalator. Whoever designed this trolley is the real MVP.”

MVP stands for Most Valuable Player and is an abbreviation most commonly used in sports.

Amid the chaos, some passengers offered their own advice to avoid the chaos like Sumitha Singham. 

“Just flew out of KLIA. Instead of a checked luggage I decided to go with a carry on. If u (you) print ur (your) boarding pass & hand carry your luggage you won’t really be affected by the system failure. Plus it frees up the staff to deal with those who absolutely must check in #malaysiaairports.”