KUALA LUMPUR: The man accused of punching a foreigner at Kuala Lumpur International Airport's (KLIA) Not to Land (NTL) holding lounge has been suspended, Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook said.

The man has been identified as an employee of AeroDarat Services Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG).

Despite claims of being provoked by passengers with Not to Land (NTL) notice, the staff should have maintained professionalism while on duty, he said.

"So in this case, I received a report regarding the staff involved in the incident was AeroDarat staff, not MAHB (Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd).

"AeroDarat is the ground handler for MAG.

"The staff said he was provoked by the NTL passenger, which resulted in physical contact and some foul and abusive language and so on.

"However, we cannot defend the staff's actions whatever the circumstances.

"The staff must act professionally as a staff member on the ground," said Loke at a press conference at the Parliament building today.

Earlier, the police received a report from an airline employee regarding a fight that occurred on Sunday.

KLIA district police chief Assistant Commissioner Azman Shari'at said they received a report lodged by an airline employee.

He said the Nov 10 incident stemmed from a misunderstanding between an airline employee and a passenger over a delayed check-in for a flight.

"The altercation resulted in minor injuries to the airline employee," he said in a statement, adding that an investigation into the incident has been opened.

The case is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt.