KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 — Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (MAHB) today said that it did not handle Not To Land (NTL) passengers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and that the task fell to an independent company appointed by the KLIA Airline Operators Committee (AOC).

MAHB in a statement today said that AOC consists of 40 airline operators at KLIA and 26 associates.

"The handling of NTL passengers due to various reasons including, amongst others, passport validity, visa issue, criminal history, and security concerns, falls under the purview of respective airlines and the Immigration Department of Malaysia as specified under International Civil Aviation Organisation's Annexe 9 and Malaysia's Immigration Act (Act 155),” it said.

As the airport operator, MAHB clarified that it only provides a suitable space to facilitate the handling of NTL passengers while awaiting their return flights.

Yesterday, Free Malaysia Today reported Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki as saying that the two Chinese nationals linked to a minister who was at the centre of a commotion at the arrival hall of KLIA Terminal One last week had returned home.

Azam said the two women came to Malaysia as tourists.

He was quoted as saying that an agent who allegedly solicited a fee to help one of the women after she was allegedly prohibited entry to Malaysia is linked to a company based at KLIA.

He also reportedly said that the company had been given a contract by MAHB to manage travellers slapped with the Immigration Department’s NTL notice since 2017.