This is based on Airport Service Quality (ASQ) by Airports Council International which looks at overall passenger satisfaction for terminal safety, facilities, services, and cleanliness.

The last part received extra attention in light of COVID-19 pandemic.

MAHB encouraged to do better

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) group chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh said as a global airport operator, the company was driven by the passengers' confidence and satisfaction in its facilities and services.

"This year, passengers can look forward to an improved journey including shorter wait times and facial recognition technology that are part of our Airports 4.0 digital transformation.

"In fact, we recently announced that we will be introducing private health safety screening services for passengers to enjoy faster clearance upon arrival. We hope to restore passenger confidence with the Covid-19 swab test swiftly done within comfortable surroundings," he told the English daily. KLIA won the award for the over 40 million passengers per annum (mppa) in 2020 category and had maintained its high standards despite the pandemic.

Despite low traffic at the airport, it had made improvements such as washroom refurbishment, formation of the Operational Excellence teams that identified and designed improvement initiatives and introduction of Exceptional People Practice Playbook, a dual language manual to guide front liners in their interaction with passengers.