Carriers to care for airport 'refugees'
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Malaysia holds airlines responsible over growing number of stranded passengers
Malaysia’s airport authority has responded to the growing problem of stranded passengers by saying it will hold airlines responsible for their safety and welfare. Malaysia Airports Holding (MAHB) senior general manager (operations) Azmi Murad said all carriers had been informed of the new ruling, which comes into effect nationwide immediately.
He said if the airlines flew in passengers with improper travel documents, they, not the airport authority, would be held accountable.
“We are concerned with recent cases of stranded foreigners making the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) transit area their temporary home indefinitely without any particular agency taking responsibility,” he said.
“After discussions, airlines representatives agreed that they will take care of stranded passengers, as they were responsible for bringing them into the airport.”
Azmi said the airlines would have to house and feed stranded passengers until they leave.
He said that although the air-lines had accepted the ruling,
they were concerned with the additional cost and the time it would take to handle complex cases.
Citing the case of Syrian national Khaled Ali and his family of five who were left stranded in the KLIA transit area on July 3, Azmi said an anonymous well-wisher had checked them into the airport transit hotel and paid their bills.
He said MAHB was providing medical care to Khaled’s son Anas, who is unable to talk and walk, with the assistance of the Malaysian Immigration Department.
On the case of another passenger, Palestinian Mohammed Abdulabbad, who has been staying in the transit lounge since July 1, Azmi said Malaysia Airlines was providing him meal vouchers daily because the carrier had flown him in from Jakarta.
Azmi said the airlines would be burdened financially if there were complications in obtaining travel documents for stranded passengers, as was in the case of another Palestinian, Ahmed Kanan, who stayed in the transit area for over 50 days before being allowed entry into the country.
“A system must be in place so that airlines take full responsibility for their passengers,” he said. “As the airport authority, MAHB will help resolve such cases, although our priority is safety and security of the airport, airlines and travellers.”
Azmi urged all airlines to check thoroughly the travel documents of passengers and their passports’ validity as many countries required them to be effective for at least six months from the date of departure.
“They should assist passengers on the rules, restrictions, passport validity and also visa requirements before accepting them on flights,” he added.
