Malaysia's airport operator lodges police report over KLIA glitch

The systems disruption, which began on Aug 21, 2019, had affected key functions at the airports, such as the WiFi connection, flight information display system, check-in counters and the baggage handling system. PHOTO: BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR - The airport operator of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) has lodged a police report over last week's disruptions of its computer systems that led to four days of flight delays and cancellations that left passengers frustrated.

KLIA District Police chief Zulkifli Adamsah on Tuesday (Aug 27) confirmed that it had received the police report lodged by airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), Bernama reported.

He said no evidence was submitted in the report, which was lodged by a senior manager of the airport's Information Technology Division.

Mr Zulkifli added that an investigation would be carried out under Section 427 of the Penal Code for mischief, which is punishable with imprisonment of not less than one year and not more than five years, or a fine, or both, upon conviction.

The MAHB has not ruled out the possibility that the recent network failure was caused by an "act of malicious intent".

MAHB group chief executive officer Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin on Monday said it remains committed to providing the highest quality of service, and will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that smooth operations remain.

Meanwhile, Malaysia's transport ministry has formed a committee to investigate the disruption which the airport has said was caused by network failure, The Star reported.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the six-man committee will look into why the Total Airport Management System (TAMS) had caused the disruptions.

He added that the committee had been tasked to give recommendations that can be implemented to ensure that similar incidents would not happen again.

"The system has been stabilised on Aug 24 and it is currently being monitored by the Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) as the airport's operator," said Mr Loke.

"The panel has been given a month to prepare a detail report to the Cabinet," he added in a statement on Monday (Aug 26).

The committee comprises ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohd Khairul Adib Abdul Rahman as chairman, Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) executive chairman Dr Nungsari Ahmad Radhi, Mavcom commissioner Datuk Seri Long See Wool, Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) chief executive officer Ahmad Nizar Zolfakar, CAAM member Afzal Abdul Rahim, National Cyber Security Agency chief executive Md Shah Nuri Md Zain and the Air Unit of the Transport Ministry as its secretariat.

The systems disruption, which began last Wednesday (Aug 21), had affected key functions at the airports, such as the WiFi connection, flight information display system, check-in counters and the baggage handling system.

Scores of flights were delayed as a result, with many passengers unhappy over the situation.

National Cyber Security Agency (Nacsa) said no evidence of a cyberattack was detected.

It added that the preliminary findings by MAHB indicated that the disruption was due to network equipment failure.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.