KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 21): The Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) said it had met with the Immigration Department to discuss the issue of long queues at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) immigration counters, addressing recent allegations made by AirAsia Group Bhd on the matter.

The commission said it did receive a letter from AirAsia in August 2019 pertaining to frequent long queues at the immigration counters, in which the airline said they had documented the congestion on a daily basis.

It had requested for details on the documentation by AirAsia, which MAVCOM said would be added to the information and data that the commission had already procured.

“We also made it clear in our reply to AirAsia that MAVCOM was scheduled to meet with the Immigration Department of Malaysia and requested for the details to be provided to the commission prior to this meeting, as the availability of such information could be helpful in that discussion.

“Despite several reminders being sent to AirAsia requesting for these details, there was no response provided,” the commission said in a statement today.

The commission had then proceeded to meet with the Director-General of the Immigration Department and the Director of Immigration of KLIA to discuss the immigration queues.

MAVCOM said it is dedicated towards providing long-term solutions and the long-term development of the industry, highlighting it has implemented 20 service quality elements at KLIA and klia2.

“Work is on schedule to complete a further eight service quality elements including those related to queueing times for immigration, check-in, customs, as well as kerbside. 

“The commission will monitor the queueing time performance at all these areas within the Airports QoS Framework, to ensure improved services by all relevant parties involved,” MAVCOM said.

AirAsia chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes had previously said MAVCOM had provided no assistance in addressing the congestion at the immigration counters at klia2 and had urged Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to make adjustments at the airport to deal with the matter.

Meanwhile, MAHB has since said it is looking at ways to ensure better services will be provided at its airports, after an unusually long arrival immigration queue on Oct 17.

One of the steps it would take is to relocate Eraman Emporium at klia2 for the expansion and reconfiguration of the immigration area, which will free up more space and enable a smoother flow.