KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 — The Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) aerotrains have reached the end of their lifespans and will take two years to replace, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said today.
The aerotrain operator, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), has already awarded a contract for the improvement of the service, he said in an interview on Bernama TV tonight.
"We must remember that KLIA was opened in 1998. So today, it will have been almost 25 years.
"So of course the aerotrains are now reaching the end of their lifespan,” he said.
The process to upgrade the aerotrain will take two years so it will likely finish in 2025, he added.
“What happened two days ago was very disappointing,” he commented, referring to the breakdown of an aerotrain which was carrying passengers between the main terminal and a satellite building.
However, the second train, which had been dispatched to transport the stranded passengers, also experienced technical issues en route.
Loke said that the passengers were forced to walk on the elevated train track because there was no way for them to go down.
“We know that that is something which is very troublesome,” he admitted.
Because of that, the aerotrain service will be suspended and replaced by a shuttle bus service, he said.
Yesterday, MAHB managing director Datuk Iskandar Mizal Mahmood said 114 passengers had been affected including 10 who missed their flights.
MAHB immediately provided free accommodation and replacement tickets for those whose flight schedules were affected, he said.
He explained that the breakdowns were due to circuit breakers going off, and that the trains themselves were “beyond serviceability”.
