Minister admits two-hour air traffic radar failure

Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha today admitted that the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre were directing air traffic without radar support for close to two hours due to a system failure last September.

Replying to Nurul Izzah Anwar (PKR-Lembah Pantai), the minister (right) said the Sept 12 incident happened because the backup system "did not kick in" after a power trip.

"The radar system blackout was not due to an electric supply failure but because...a trip off, where the backup system did not kick in," he said.

PKR had in September called on thegovernment to explain how the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre went blind after suffering "total failure in the system with no radar and no radio frequencies", putting passenger safety at risk.

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