SEPANG – After two years of border closure since March 2020,airports nationwide are ready to ensure a safe and seamless experience for all airport users once borders reopen tomorrow. Government authorities have been working closely with airport stakeholders to make sure that health protocols and proceduresat the airport are simplified for the passengers’ convenience.
Managing director of Malaysia Airports, Dato’ Iskandar Mizal Mahmood reiterated the Group’s commitment in making sure that standards at the airport are consistently high, “For the past several weeks, we have held daily engagements with various airport stakeholders to ensure that airport operations run like clockwork. No detail is too small for our attention. Not only do we look at all aspects of the passenger journey, we are also ensuring compliance to all aviation regulatory matters.”
Among improvements made include shortening the documentation process upon arrival by having passengers complete them on the MySejahtera app before departing from their country of origin. Queueing areas at the Immigration counters have been made more spacious for the comfort of passengers. The Immigration e-gates are also available for use by Malaysian citizens for faster clearance. Ground staff will be stationed to help manage the queue and ensure a pleasant experience.
Arriving passengers no longer need to do a COVID-19 test immediately upon arrival at the airport. Instead, they are given 24 hours upon arrival to take a professional RTK-Ag test. For passengers’ further convenience, there are private health screening facilities at the international airports that serve as one-stop centres with easy pre-booking services via their onlineportals.
Shuttle buses to and from the satellite building are also available to augment the Aerotrain service. The Aerotrains will be in operation during peak periods of international flight movements, while shuttle buses are available round the clock with a maximum waiting time of only 4 minutes.
Close collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) is key in ensuring compliance to all aviation regulatory matters such as runway safety and aviation security. Chief Executive Officer of CAAM, Datuk Captain Chester Voo said, “As the aviation industry moves towards a safe and sustainable restart, CAAM and industry stakeholders must work together to implement restart measures to ensure a safe harmonised approach. This will help ensure that the restart and recovery in air operations with ‘new normal’ are thoroughly considered and implemented in a structured manner. CAAM has carried out effective safety oversight on airports and airlines operators in Malaysia and is satisfied with the level of compliance to regulations and the new norms. This is encouraging as the aviation industry is poised for a safe and secure restart. CAAM would like to applaud Malaysia Airports, and airline operators for taking this compliance seriously in the interest of public safety.”
Based on flight schedules that have been filed, airports nationwide are expected to receive 119 flights on the first day of the country’s border reopening. The two terminals at KL International Airport (KLIA) will receive 110 flights flying in from various international cities such as Hong Kong, Incheon,Melbourne, New Delhi, Doha, Istanbul and London, among others. Penang International Airport (PEN) is receiving seven flights - five from Singapore and two from Taipei, whileLangkawi International Airport (LGK) and Ipoh Airport (IPH) are receiving one flight each from Singapore.
The expected rise in international passenger movements drives further optimism for the Group. The first three months of the year had seen the Group recording eight million passenger movements which is already about 80% of the Group’s total passenger movements for its Malaysia operations last year. For 1 April 2022, the Group is anticipating about 20,900 international passenger movements which is about 6 times more than the average daily international passenger movements in 2021.
Malaysia Airports would like to wish all passengers a warm welcome back to its airports. Getting to the airport is easy with the availability of the 24-hour e-hailing and Airport Limo services. ERL services are fully operating between 6.00 am to 11.30 pm daily. For those driving to the airport, there are more than 11,000 car parking bays available at both the Short-Term and Long-Term Car Parks.
Airport guests are reminded to adhere to all safety SOPs. For the latest updates on travel protocols and safety advisory, go to www.malaysiaairports.com.my or visit us on our official social media platforms (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok).