SEPANG – Malaysia Airports welcomes the Government’s comprehensive plan to strengthen airport security, as announced by Minister of Communications YB Dato’ Seri Ahmad Fahmi Mohamed Fadzil. A more coordinated multi-agency approach will enable the relevant authorities to carry out their responsibilities according to their respective areas of expertise, while allowing Malaysia Airports to focus on our core mandate of ensuring safe, secure and efficient airport operations.
Malaysia Airports welcomes the clearer roles and accountability established among implementing agencies through the National Immigration Command Centre (NICC) and the Joint Ministry of Home Affairs–Ministry of Transport (KDN–MOT) Technical Committee, which will support more coordinated implementation. Together with designated liaison officers across the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) and Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), as well as Malaysia Airports through its operational and Aviation Security (AVSEC) functions, this supports a whole-of-nation approach to border security and control. AVSEC will continue to contribute through its established responsibility of safeguarding civil aviation operations against acts of unlawful interference or attempted threats that may jeopardise the safety of civil aviation and air transport, such as passengers carrying firearms on board.
Under the newly announced arrangements, we welcome the agreement to allow targeted physical pat-down screening to resume, where warranted based on risk assessment. This will provide an additional deterrent alongside handheld metal detectors. The deployment of K9 units by PDRM and JKDM is similarly welcomed as a complementary measure to AVSEC’s existing role.
In parallel, Malaysia Airports is augmenting existing security measures through the deployment of enhanced screening equipment at KLIA and other regional airports.
Managing Director of Malaysia Airports, Dato’ Mohd Izani Ghani said the coordinated approach addresses a longstanding challenge in managing security at the country’s airports, where issues can often cut across the mandates of multiple agencies, “For many years, national security matters have required us to respond to challenges that extend beyond the airport operator’s core mandate. This coordinated approach provides much-needed clarity on roles and responsibilities, ensuring that each agency can bring its respective authority and expertise to bear. We remain fully committed to playing our part and working alongside the Government and enforcement agencies to safeguard the country’s gateways.”
Engagement with the relevant authorities and agencies remains ongoing to ensure continued alignment and provide the necessary operational support for the effective implementation of these security enhancements.