KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 1): Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) said it is proactively taking steps to address the issue of wildlife smuggling at its airports following several wildlife smuggling cases involving passengers departing from Malaysia recently.

The airport operator said it will cooperate with airlines and all relevant agencies in their respective enforcement activities. It also highlighted that continuous engagements with the agencies have resulted in collaborative operations of enhancing security checks and baggage screening for targeted flights, according to its statement on Tuesday (Aug 1).

MAHB said it remains guided by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) International Standards and Recommended Practices, to prevent unauthorised carriage of weapons, explosives or any dangerous items, on board an aircraft engaged in civil aviation.

"In compliance to this, all airports under MAHB utilise an approved automated baggage screening system. KL International Airport (KLIA) has five levels of screening that are calibrated to detect weapons, explosives, devices, articles, and substances that pose a danger to the airport community and passengers or crew on board aircraft," it said.

MAHB also clarified that capturing and prosecuting traffickers of illegal or illicit drugs and wildlife is under the jurisdiction of existing relevant laws, which fall under the purview of other agencies, namely the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM), Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services and Royal Malaysian Police.

"MAHB is currently working with customs intelligence of other international airports to gain insights into recent smuggling trends and challenges in combating trafficking. Moving forward, MAHB will also be engaging with the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), to further step up monitoring mechanisms and allow for more vigilant checks to be conducted based on data-driven assessments of high-risk flights," it said.

Earlier in April, Bernama reported that Indian authorities intercepted a woman who was found carrying 22 snakes after arriving at Chennai airport from Kuala Lumpur. Checks showed that her baggage contained 22 snakes and a chameleon, packed in transparent plastic containers. JKDM, however, clarified that the checked-in baggage was under the jurisdiction of MAHB auxiliary police.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday (Aug 1), it was reported that customs officials at Tiruchirappalli airport in southern India seized 47 pythons from an Indian national arriving from Kuala Lumpur.

MAHB shares closed unchanged at RM6.90 on Tuesday, for a market capitalisation of RM11.51 billion.