by AZALEA AZUAR / graphic by MZUKRI MOHAMAD

THE Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) recorded 428 complaints in the second half of 2020 (2H20).

In its biannual Consumer Report, the commission reported that 99.3% of the complaints involved airlines, while 0.7% was on airports.

“This translated to a 45.3% reduction from 783 complaints lodged during the corresponding period in 2019,” Mavcom noted in a statement yesterday.

Mavcom highlighted that 98.3% of the 428 complaints were successfully resolved and closed.

Additionally, the commission also received 1,403 requests for refunds in relation to Covid-19. About 75% of the total requests were due to consumers requesting refunds and delays in refunding.

It also stated that 59% of its 2H20 complaints resulted in airlines reversing their initial decision and producing a resolution that was more equitable or satisfactory to the consumer than what was initially provided by the airlines. It represented an 8% increase from 2H19.

AirAsia Group Bhd recorded the highest number of complaints at 196. This is followed by Malaysia Airlines Bhd (105) and AirAsia X Bhd (57).

For airlines, processing of refunds, flight cancellations and flight rescheduling were the top three complaint categories, making up 62.8% in total.

As for airports, complaints were mainly concerning airport facilities and security.

Mavcom executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim said the recovery of Malaysia’s aviation sector to its pre-pandemic status will indeed take time.

“While there are prospects of resuming air travel in the foreseeable future, Mavcom looks forward to working collaboratively with the relevant authorities and industry players to ensure aviation consumers’ rights continue to be protected,” he said.

The report also stated that Mavcom has implemented Airport Quality of Service Framework to strengthen and amplify awareness of air travel rights and ensure high service quality levels at airports nationwide.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport was ranked as one of the world’s top 10 airports in the latest global Airport Service Quality survey by Airports Council International.