PUTRAJAYA: The independent company appointed to handle 'Not To Land' (NTL) passengers at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) was not appointed by Malaysia Airports Holding Bhd (MAHB).

In a statement today to clarify a news report published by a news portal, MAHB said the independent company to handle NTL passengers at KLIA was appointed by the KLIA Airline Operators Committee (AOC), a committee consisting of 40 airline operators and 26 associates.

The appointment was agreed and endorsed by the Immigration Department, it said.

"As the airport operator, MAHB provided a suitable space to facilitate the handling of NTL passengers while awaiting their return flights," it said.

A news report entitled "Chinese national involved in KLIA has returned, says Azam" published yesterday reported that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki as saying that the two Chinese nationals linked to a VIP who was at the centre of a commotion at the arrival hall of KLIA Terminal 1 last week, had returned home.

Azam 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 said the company had been given a contract by MAHB to manage travellers slapped with the Immigration Department's NTL notice since 2017.

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

-- BERNAMA