K9 patrol units will begin operating inside the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) terminals on Monday, 26 October, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd said, as the operator moves to tighten screening at the country’s main international gateway.
Managing director Datuk Mohd Izani Ghani said the dogs will cover passenger areas such as the departure hall, arrival hall and customs inspection points, allowing officers to pick up prohibited items and security threats linked to targeted flights at an earlier stage, according to The Edge Malaysia.
The units will also work in baggage handling and sorting areas, where checked-in luggage passes before it is loaded onto aircraft or sent to the reclaim carousels. That places a further check between the check-in counter and the aircraft hold.
“This layered security approach aims to strengthen coverage across passenger-facing and back-of-house areas, complementing existing security arrangements,” Mohd Izani said in a statement.
KLIA will coordinate with the relevant agencies on operational matters, including standard operating procedures, designated access for K9 units and their handlers, and support facilities inside the terminals, The Star reported. The airport operator added that rest areas have been identified for the dogs, with handlers attending to them between patrols, and that a pilot phase will assess how well the chosen locations work before any adjustment to passenger flows and deployment schedules.
The tighter measures follow public scrutiny of screening protocols at KLIA after several Malaysians were intercepted overseas carrying illicit drugs. On 10 October, Japanese customs officers at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport arrested five Malaysians, two men and three women aged between 19 and 26, after about 5kg of cocaine worth 120 million yen (RM3.1 million) was found hidden in the hollowed-out insoles of their shoes.
Bukit Aman confirmed the group had flown out from KLIA Terminal 2 and were allegedly acting as drug mules paid RM8,000 each. In July, Indonesian authorities arrested a 39-year-old Malaysian commercial airline pilot at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after more than 70,000 ecstasy pills weighing about 26kg and a packet of methamphetamine were found in his luggage.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said on Tuesday that international drug syndicates were changing tactics to get around airport detection. Their methods include booking flights for drug mules at the last minute and deliberately scheduling those flights during peak hours at KLIA, when congestion is heaviest.
KLIA police chief ACP M. Ravi said police had already stepped up K9 patrols, which were previously carried out periodically, to strengthen airport security following several recent incidents.
Under the plan, Malaysia Airports said the canine teams will be deployed alongside existing security arrangements, with its aviation security personnel staying focused on safeguarding airport users and facilities. The operator said it will continue supporting the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency, the Royal Malaysia Police, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department and the K9 units.
