MAHB, airline operators to help stranded tourists at KLIA amidst Covid-19 outbreak

KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB) along with airline operators will do their part to help foreign tourists who are stranded at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) due to the global travel disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement today, MAHB said it will compile the necessary data of all foreign tourists and make certain amenities available to them.

“Malaysia Airports will compile their details and forward them to Wisma Putra and the respective embassies for their further action. 

“While at the airport, the airport community including the respective airlines collectively do whatever is within our means to care for passengers. 

“Airlines will provide meals and these stranded passengers have the option to check in to the transit hotel facility located on the airside such as Sama Sama Express KLIA,’’ said the statement.

MAHB said that Sama Sama Express in KLIA2 is currently closed for operations but stranded passengers may use the Capsule Hotel and its facility, free of charge.

It also explained that while some are stranded due to the movement control order (MCO), which took effect on March 18, 2020, others are subject to travel bans at destination countries.

They mainly consist of transit passengers whose connecting flights to the destination countries have been cancelled or foreign passengers who had left Malaysia during the MCO but were denied entry at the destination countries and sent back to KLIA.

To avoid being stranded at airports, MAHB reminds passengers to first check whether they are able to enter their respective destinations and verify with the respective airlines the availability of connecting flights, and reconfirm the flight time as the situation is very fluid and there may be changes or cancellation to the flights.