Solutions at hand: Saifuddin making a point during Question Time in Parliament. — Bernama
THE option to use the autogate facility will be extended to foreign travellers from low-risk countries to ease congestion at the KL International Airport (KLIA), says Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
He said the government was concerned over the congestion issue at the country’s entry point, especially at KLIA, and wanted to resolve the problem.
“We admit that there are some issues, and several measures are being taken.
“For instance, the autogate facilities in KLIA.
“Previously, it was just for Malaysians, but this will include foreigners, especially those from low-risk countries such as Singapore, Brunei and New Zealand, or the G7 (Group of Seven) countries,” he said in reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Mumtaz Md Nawi (PN-Tumpat) during Question Time.
Mumtaz had asked about the steps being taken by the Immigration Department to ease congestion at the country’s entry points, as there were complaints that clearance could take up to three hours.
Saifuddin hoped that such a step would ease the congestion, especially during peak arrival times.
“That is among the solutions we are currently implementing. We will be carrying out a few more soon,” he added.
Saifuddin also revealed that at the moment the peak hours at KLIA were between 3pm and 11pm.
“That is the peak time where flights will arrive between three and four minutes apart.
“That’s why the Immigration clearance takes time. The most important thing is that we are finding solutions to the issues,” he said.
The Star reported that travellers and tour operators have been urging Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to put up prominent signboards to alert passengers to the limited aerotrain service scheduled at KLIA.
They added that the situation at the airport had been “chaotic” during peak periods due to the limited service of the aerotrain.
Others had taken to social media to complain about the long wait for travellers at the Immigration clearance area at the airport.
Many netizens also shared their unpleasant experience of waiting for hours at several airports in the country.
On a separate matter, Saifuddin said that a total of 20 Passport Issuing Offices, apart from the Urban Transformation Centres (UTCs), will operate seven days a week to overcome the issue of congestion at their counters.
“The government had allocated RM10mil to pay for the staff members’ overtime claims,” he said.
He advised the people to go online for the application to renew their passports.
He said 2.5 million passports have been issued by the Immigration Department since the Covid-19 pandemic period.
From the total figure, 45% of them were done online, he added.
