Wong Hon Wai, who visited the airport this evening, said immigration clearance for Malaysians was satisfactory thanks to the new autogates installed in December.

Clearance for others was handled manually by AKPS. Wong said home ministry officials will visit the airport soon to test and certify the new autogates for foreigners.

“This needs to be done as soon as possible to speed up immigration clearance for foreigners. I also urge the home ministry to increase the number of AKPS staff as it is a new agency and still understaffed,” said Wong, who is responsible for tourism and creative economy affairs.

Earlier today, the agency said a surge in arrivals led to long queues at the airport yesterday despite the arrival counters being operational.

Penang AKPS commander Zuhair Jamaludin was quoted by the Star as pointing to an increase in flights from Spring Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines and China Southern Airlines. He denied claims online that only two counters were open.

AKPS was set up in 2024 as a single entity responsible for inspecting, monitoring, and controlling people, vehicles, goods, plants, and animals at all entry points. It will take control of all 114 entry points this year.

The agency’s staff includes personnel absorbed from the police, customs department, immigration department, wildlife and national parks department, health ministry, road transport department, and the Malaysian quarantine and inspection services.