KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has embarked on a transformation exercise involving service delivery and infrastructure for its network of airports in the country.

Managing director Datuk Iskandar Mahmood said that this would be critical to bring its airports, especially the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), back to the top-tier global rankings.

"Several operational improvements to achieve enhanced service delivery are being undertaken, namely ambience improvement, self-service check-in and bag drop, and digital solutions," he said in a statement today.

MAHB said the group recognised the importance of airport infrastructure and services' direct contribution towards the nation's economy, especially via tourism and international trade.

The airport operator would be rolling out these initiatives in stages to keep up with the ever-discerning needs of travellers, it said.

Earlier, MAHB had announced an encouraging recovery momentum in its passenger movements at its network of airports, especially KLIA as the main gateway.

"For the first quarter of 2023, domestic passenger movements have reached 81.2 per cent of 2019 level, (while) international passenger movements were at 78.4 per cent of 2019.

"MAHB expects the positive momentum to continue in 2023 and 2024," it said.

The airport operator had also announced its much-needed ageing critical asset replacement programme to increase passenger traffic, namely the KLIA Aerotrain and baggage handling systems, to be completed within the next two years.

In boosting the country's tourism industry, MAHB noted that China had proven to be a strong market for Malaysia's tourism initiatives in the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are focusing on this proven market to capitalise on the potential and grow it further. However, we need to be strategic and smart in targeting China as every country in this region is chasing after that market," it said.

Iskandar said that the group has taken steps to carefully identify potential initiatives, such as a digital super application with a subscriber base of over a billion users, to maximise impact.

"MAHB is excited about these transformational initiatives (and) we are committed to making our airports relevant and playing a pivotal role in contributing towards Malaysia's growth," he added.

-- BERNAMA