Passengers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport were walking along railway tracks in the dark on the morning of October 28, 2025, dragging their luggage behind them. The Aerotrain, which links the main terminal and the satellite building, had broken down again.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) had issued no official statement by the time Malay Mail first reported the incident. ExpatGo said the latest failure appeared to come from a sudden power disruption. One passenger called it “a major disruption” and said staff seemed unprepared for the inconvenience.
Minister “angry, ashamed”
Transport Minister Anthony Loke addressed parliament on Wednesday during his winding-up speech for the ministry. “Yes, I admit the incident was embarrassing,” he said. “I felt ashamed watching passengers drag their luggage along the track. I am angry, and I share the disappointment expressed by members of this House.”
He promised punishment. “I will ensure punitive action is taken,” Loke said, adding that MAHB must hold its contractors accountable for failing to deliver the expected quality, “even though this is a new system.” SCMP counted Tuesday’s failure as the 21st incident since July.
Earlier in the year, Loke had insisted the glitches were “not breakdowns but software bugs.” He pointed to monthly passenger volume of 1.5 million and said MAHB could face fines of up to RM190,000 per month if performance standards were missed.
A record of trouble
This was not the first time travellers had been left to walk. On February 27, 2023, an Aerotrain stalled midway along the track. A second train sent to help also developed technical problems, and passengers had no choice but to walk to the satellite terminal. Days later, on March 1, 114 passengers covered about 500 metres on foot, and ten reportedly missed flights. The system was then shut down for replacement and upgrades, with officials saying the train had reached the end of its 25-year life cycle.
It came back on July 1, 2025, after a RM456 million upgrade that kept it out of service for more than two years. Even in that period, an early problem was blamed on a faulty drainage pump and tunnel flooding after heavy rain.
The numbers since relaunch tell two stories. Between July 2 and September 30, the system logged 19 service disruptions. It also posted a reported 99.19% operational availability over the same stretch, Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah told the Dewan Rakyat. He said the Aerotrain remains inside a two-year defect-liability period while its mechanical and signalling systems are still being fine-tuned.
MAHB says alternative shuttle buses between the terminals are available as a contingency. Its September statement said 24-hour service had resumed after night-time maintenance from August 18-31. Critics say the upgrade has done little to cut the risk to passengers, and the airport faces a reputational problem ahead of Malaysia’s 2026 Visit Malaysia Year campaign.
Sources
- It Happened Again! KLIA’s Latest Aerotrain Breakdown Tests Passengers’ Patience Once More – ExpatGo
- KLIA Aerotrain breaks down again, passengers forced to walk along tracks
- Minister ‘angry, ashamed’ after Kuala Lumpur aerotrain breaks down again
