by AMIR AZLAN / graphic by TMR

MALAYSIAN Aviation Commission (Mavcom) in its consumer report revealed that it had received 157 complaints in the first half (1H) of the year which translated to a 59.1% year-on-year (YoY) decrease. 

Mavcom in a statement on Monday noted that of the 157 complaints received, 98.1% were complaints regarding airlines, while 1.9% of complaints were related to airports. 

“Complaints against AirAsia represented 41.4% of the total complaints filed with the Commission, followed by Malaysia Airlines at 28.7% and Malindo Air at 12.1%. All airlines, except Firefly Airlines, observed a drop in the number of complaints filed with Mavcom, corresponding with a decrease in the number of passengers carried,” the statement read. 

The commission noted that 60.1% of the complaints were due to airlines that had reversed their initial decisions to provide resolutions that are fairer and more satisfactory to the consumers, which in turn showed a 2.3% increase compared to the corresponding period in the last year. 

“Mavcom successfully resolved 97.5% of the complaints received within the six-month period, while 82 of the complaints were non-actionable due to incomplete documentation by consumers, complaints falling beyond the scope of the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016 or complaints being filed over a year from the date of the incident. Resolved complaints included those related to refunds, frequent flyer programmes and flight cancellations. 

In the same statement, Mavcom also approved 100% of 21 Air Traffic Rights (ATR) applications received in the third quarter of 2021. 

The 21 applications represent a 110% increase in application rates as compared to the second quarter of 2021. 

The Commission approved 14 ATRs for international destinations and seven ATRs for domestic routes. MyJet Xpress Sdn Bhd and World Cargo Airline Sdn Bhd were awarded the highest number of approvals with five ATRs each, followed by AirAsia X Bhd and MAB Kargo Sdn Bhd with four ATR and three ATR approvals respectively, as well as 2 ATR approvals each for Malaysia Airlines Bhd and AirAsia Group Bhd. 

Among the ATR applications, 18 were from the cargo sector signalling the continued healthy growth within the sector as the commission had previously reported its expectation on the expansion between 26.5% YoY and 28.2% YoY in Malaysia’s air cargo traffic for 2021. 

Mavcom continues to support industry players in their recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic by extending its suspension of the evaluation of domestic ATR applications, which has been in place since October 2020 until further notice. 

Mavcom executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim said as air travel resumes, the commission is committed to further improves its efforts to protect the rights of consumers and supporting aviation industry players in their post-pandemic recovery. 

“We are pleased to be able to resolve 97.5% of complaints and approve all ATRs requested, which indicates our continued dedication to both consumers and industry players alike. The growth of the cargo sector has certainly been a silver lining for the aviation industry during this pandemic. With the ballooning demand for e-commerce coupled with reduced belly space cargo capacity thrusting the cargo sector globally forward, we will continue to support local players to take advantage of the prospects ahead,” he said.