BATIK Air, formerly known as Malindo Air, today expressed its regret over prolonged delays in flight departures from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on December 22, which caused much inconvenience to passengers. 

Batik Air in a statement said it will contact affected passengers to gift them special complimentary vouchers. 

“The cause of the incident is currently being investigated and we will build on any lapses in our operations for a continuous improvement in our customer service delivery.

“We deeply regret that the delays have caused much inconvenience to our passengers and their families,” the statement said.

Batik Air explained that food vouchers were provided during the delay but the company was unable to provide accommodation due to hotels being fully booked and no food outlets being open after midnight at the terminal. 

“We have no intention of causing the delay to be prolonged and we would like to reassure the public that the situation has been rectified and our operations at the KLIA terminal are back to normal,” it said. 

This came after Transport Minister Anthony Loke urged Batik Air to issue an apology and be accountable for the incident. 

He said this last night in response to a tweet from @firdausjailan who said he had been stranded at KLIA for more than seven hours due to the delay. 

Firdaus’ video tweet, which has more than one million views, showed stranded passengers sleeping on benches near the departure gate, with the flight information display system not showing the delays. – Bernama, December 27, 2022.