10 March 2023
– Letter by WILLIAM DENNIS
I refer to the report “KLIA in need of major facelift” (The Star, March 8; online at https://bit.ly/3ysoFUF).
I cannot agree more with the conclusion made by players in the tourism and hospitality industries that Kuala Lumpur International Airport is in urgent need of a major revamp.
As my work involves frequent travelling, I am familiar with the problems mentioned in the report, including recurrent disruptions to the aerotrain service (pic).
My name is certainly familiar to Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) because I have highlighted the problems numerous times in the local media.
In my opinion, the aerotrains should have been replaced in 2019 after operating for 20 years. Surely the operational capacity of the aerotrains cannot be stretched.
But will travellers have to be transferred to the satellite building by bus until the aerotrains are replaced by 2025?
The operator of the limousine service should consider having a bigger fleet of premier vehicles to cut the waiting time during peak hours. Service at the counter also needs to be more efficient and friendly.
Recently, I waited for 55 minutes before I got a vehicle to take me home. The waiting time for the car was longer than my 45-minute flight from Singapore.
On another trip back from Melbourne, my wife and I waited for 47 minutes after landing at 8.20pm.
The excuse given on both occasions was too many aircraft had landed at the same time.
Congestion at KLIA could be eased by moving low-cost carriers operating from there to klia2. The main terminal should only be for full-service airlines.
On another matter, MAHB should seriously consider building a third terminal soon. Long-term planning is of paramount importance to MAHB if it harbours any hopes of growth and maintaining its position as one of the best airport operators in the region.
KLIA is a top-notch facility, equipped with three runways that enable simultaneous landing and take-off.
The new Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre (KLATCC) in Sepang, which was commissioned on Sept 1, 2021, is not only a milestone for KLIA and the country’s civil aviation industry but also the pride for the nation.
I say this because it was commissioned and started operations in the midst of the brutal Covid-19 pandemic.
Built at a cost of RM300mil, it also marked the expansion of the country’s airspace from seven sectors to 14. KLATCC houses the air traffic control operations for the KL Flight Information Region (KL FIR), which is the backbone of the country’s ATC, as well as the coordination centre for the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia’s Search and Rescue System.
The new KL FIR airspace increases the landing capacity at KLIA from the previous 78 to 108 aircraft per hour during peak periods. This is among the highest in the world.
KLIA is the fifth airport in Asia with triple landing/take-off capability. The other four are Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing Daxing International Airport, Shanghai Pudong Airport, and Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Rated as one of the best airports in terms of aviation facilities, it must be noted that a delay in improving the non-aviation services will only see KLIA sliding to a second-rate facility.
WILLIAM DENNIS
Subang Jaya
Source: www.thestar.com.my
Site Search
Did you find what you are looking for? Try out the enhanced Google Search: