PUTRAJAYA, Jan 15 — The completion date for the Automated People Mover System (Aerotrain) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is now uncertain despite being given last year as the end of this month, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
Loke said the system still has various testing stages to complete before it can be put into service.
“At present, dynamic testing is underway. After that, there will be full system testing and system integration before it can be handed over to the authorities for final testing.
“Right now, it is still at the contractor’s stage of testing, so they have yet to provide a firm date, even though they previously indicated it could be completed by January 31. However, as of now, they have not returned with a confirmed date,” he said in a press conference at his ministry’s building here.
Loke also said “more can be done at a faster pace” at Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) that operates the country’s airport, saying that the government-linked company was contributing to the delay.
The minister said he was unhappy over the matter as he is responsible for explaining the matter to the public even though the project predated his return to the Transport Ministry.
Last September, Loke said that the aerotrain is expected to be operational by the end of this month as two sets of trains have arrived.
In March 2022, MAHB announced it had awarded the KLIA Aerotrain Replacement Project, which has a timeline for completion of three years.
However, the project suffered delays and was followed by the award of a new project in January 2024 to a consortium comprising Alstom, original equipment manufacturer Aerotrain and JMC-Pestech JV to steer the project back on track.
