SEPANG, Malaysia – A two-minute, driverless train service at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) linking its main terminal to a satellite complex for international flights will resume operations on July 1 after a nearly 2½-year wait, as the country hopes to put the embarrassing episode in the rear-view mirror.
The news comes as a relief for international passengers who have had to rely on shuttle buses for the 1.3km connection, and will help repair the airport’s battered reputation.
But industry observers and analysts say the aerotrain service is just one of several issues that Malaysia’s main airline gateway must address to improve its facilities and enhance its image, even as the global travel industry continues its post-pandemic recovery.
The aerotrain service was suspended after a breakdown in February 2023 that forced 114 passengers to walk along the rail track at the halfway mark between the two terminals.
The main KLIA Terminal 1 houses immigration counters and is used mainly for domestic flights, while international airlines use the satellite complex. A second airline terminal called KLIA Terminal 2, located less than 2km away, is used by budget airlines.
The much-anticipated resumption of the sole internal train service at the airport comes at a critical time for Malaysia, which is the chair for regional grouping Asean in 2025, and is set to host Visit Malaysia Year in 2026.
The number of passengers travelling through KLIA rose 21 per cent to 57.1 million in 2024, including 41.9 million international passengers, according to global aviation and travel data services provider Centre for Aviation.
The airport, which opened in 1998, had in the past been ranked among the world’s top 10 airports – in 2001, 2010, 2011 and 2012 – but has slid down the list ever since.
Most recently, KLIA came in at 65th place in Skytrax’s World Airport Awards, trailing Singapore’s Changi Airport (No. 1), Qatar’s Hamad International Airport (No. 2) and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (No. 3). The awards were based on a global survey conducted by London-based aviation consultancy Skytrax. Over 13 million airport users from more than 100 countries responded to the survey from August 2024 to February 2025.
A more efficient system overall, including seamless passenger experience such as smooth inter-terminal transfers, biometric boarding, and faster baggage handling, is essential for KLIA to rebuild trust among travellers and remain competitive, analysts say.
Analyst Shukor Yusof, founder of Singapore-based aviation advisory firm Endau Analytics, told The Straits Times: “KLIA was never a highly regarded international airport to begin with. The (aerotrain) suspension only served to highlight the airport’s sloppy and shabby management and operations.”
The aerotrain service breakdown in 2023 damaged KLIA’s image as a world-class airport, said Mr Wan Agyl Wan Hassan, analyst and founder of transport think tank MY Mobility Vision.
“Passengers walking along the track after a breakdown is not the image we want to project to the world,” he told ST. The stop-gap measure, deploying shuttle buses to ferry travellers between the two KLIA buildings, is “slower, less predictable, and more stressful for passengers”, he added.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke, speaking at a press conference at KLIA on June 21, said the current shuttle bus system will operate concurrently to facilitate better passenger movement “to ensure all passenger movement at KLIA runs smoothly”.
“If everything goes well, it (aerotrain service) will begin operations at 10am on July 1,” he declared.
Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke (foreground) taking a test ride on KLIA’s new aerotrain during a media preview on June 21.PHOTO: MALAYSIAN MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT
Travellers who spoke to ST say they are looking forward to the resumption of the train service.
“With the aerotrain, it is easier… The bus can be inconvenient. I have to carry my bags up and down,” said corporate communications director A. Abdullah, 50, a Malaysian who travels frequently for work.
Singaporean business consultant M. Selvaduray, 55, who travels to Malaysia around four times a year for work, said that taking the shuttle bus at KLIA is not a pleasant experience.
“When I arrive at Singapore’s Changi Airport, I’m already at the arrival gate and then I go straight for (immigration) clearance. It’s very fast. At KLIA, it’s quite a distance to walk (to get to the shuttle buses). It’s not seamless. The signage is also unclear. For an international airport, I would expect more,” he told ST.
Mr Loke said that there are currently three aerotrain sets, with two trains to run concurrently while one remains on standby. The new trains from China cost RM456 million (S$137 million), and each train can carry 270 passengers, from 230 previously.
The aerotrain replacement project has faced several delays, with all three deadlines previously given – July 2024, end-January 2025 and March 2025 – going unmet, according to the airport operator.
Reasons for this included the termination of the aerotrain contract with a previous contractor and the appointment of a new one.
This project is now handled by French transport player Alstom, along with a joint venture between local firm IJM Construction and Malaysian electrical power technology company Pestech Technology.
Though KLIA’s world rankings have slipped, there are some positive signs. The airport was rated the most-connected low-cost carrier hub in Asia Pacific by global travel data firm Official Airline Guide in its 2024 Megahubs Index released in September that year.
This shows that “KLIA is already showing signs of resurgence… with passenger numbers climbing and new routes opening up”, said Mr Wan Agyl.
“To stay competitive, especially against airports like Changi or (Seoul’s) Incheon, you need reliability and efficiency built into every passenger experience,” the analyst noted, adding that this includes better systems, faster baggage handling, and digital operations.
The real test will be whether KLIA can sustain improvements and provide a consistently high level of service.
“This can be a moment to show the world KLIA is back on track, literally and figuratively,” Mr Wan Agyl added. “But it can’t be a one-off. What KLIA needs now isn’t just a good comeback story, but consistent, high-performance service to match its ambitions.”
- Hazlin Hassan is Malaysia correspondent at The Straits Times.
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