Friday, 26 October 2012 13:01

KOTA KINABALU: Flights in and out of Kota Kinabalu International Airport resumed early Friday morning as doubts remained whether the faulty runway landing lights will be repaired by nightfall.

MAB officials who described the runway lights problem as "major" said they were working on it and hoped to restore it as soon as possible.

"The airport can operate during daytime," said a MAB official who declined be named.

However, he did not want to commit to saying whether the lights would be back in operation by Friday night.

KKIA, the nation's second busiest airport, came to a standstill Thursday night, when the runway lights blacked out forcing thousands of passengers to be stranded as at least 30 flights in and out of Kota Kinabalu were rescheduled or cancelled.

A least three flights into the airport were also diverted to nearby airports, including Labuan.

Malaysia Airlines, MASwings and AirAsia passengers on international and domestic routes were being put on alternative scheduled flights Friday.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) first-year student Shafiq Hashim, who is taking his first holiday break to see his family in Kedah for the Aidiladha, said: "It looks like, I will be celebrating Aidiladha at the airport."

Shafiq said that his parents had driven from Alor Setar to the LCCT in Kuala Lumpur to pick him up on Thursday but had to drive back after his 7pm flight was cancelled.

"Now, I have a 5pm (Friday) Air Asia flight, I am also hoping to hop into any other flights if seats are available," said, Shafiq who stayed overnight at KKIA's Terminal 2.

- The Star