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- MAHB managing director Datuk Mohd Izani Ghani said while there were no disruptions to overall airport operations or passenger transfers between the main and satellite terminals, the airport operator “expects better” from its partners.
KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 4): Alstom, the project lead for the Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s (KLIA) aerotrain system (pictured), said the service disruption on Wednesday (Sept 3) was triggered by a dislodged current collector device (CCD) that cut power to one of the train units.
The clarification came after Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) pressed Alstom for a detailed explanation and remediation plan, just two weeks after the aerotrain underwent scheduled maintenance.
MAHB managing director Datuk Mohd Izani Ghani said while there were no disruptions to overall airport operations or passenger transfers between the main and satellite terminals, the airport operator “expects better” from its partners.
“We are equally disappointed, considering that the aerotrain had just undergone a scheduled two-week maintenance involving all contractors,” Mohd Izani said in a joint statement with Alstom on Thursday.
The French rolling stock group stressed that the incident was not representative of the overall performance of the newly relaunched aerotrain system.
“As a precautionary and corrective measure to reinforce system reliability, all CCDs will be inspected daily to detect any signs of abnormality,” said Sim Ooi Kook, Alstom's country managing director for Malaysia.
Sim noted that the group is working closely with its supplier to investigate the root cause of the incident.
Meanwhile, Mohd Izani said he had instructed Alstom to conduct a thorough investigation and work closely with MAHB’s engineering teams during daily maintenance hours to identify potential risks.
He said MAHB would continue to work with Alstom on software updates and system enhancements. “Our aim is to get ahead of operational issues,” he added.
According to MAHB, the aerotrain system recorded an operational service availability (OSA) of 97.27% in July and improved to 99.93% in August despite the Sept 3 glitch.
Passenger transfers rose to 1.7 million in August from 1.4 million in July, while the three-train fleet logged an average mileage of 10,723km in August compared with 10,586km in July, reflecting increased reliability and utilisation.
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