Friday 29 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (June 26): Two privately-owned charter airlines Eaglexpress Air Charter Sdn Bhd and Suasa Airlines Sdn Bhd have called on the Pakatan Harapan-led (PH) government to shut down the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom), saying it had failed to effectively facilitate growth of the local aviation industry.

Eaglexpress president Captain Azlan Zainal Abidin said Mavcom has strayed from its functions and impedes growth of the country's aviation industry. 

"The government should assess the feasibility of Mavcom, which is not facilitating at all, the development of the country's aviation industry," Azlan told a press conference today.

"It is very sad that Mavcom is unable to appreciate the multimillion ringgit business involved in operating airlines. We have repeatedly told Mavcom to facilitate the growth of the local aviation industry and our plea has fallen on deaf ears," Azlan Zainal added. 

In 2016, Mavcom had revoked the air service permit of Eaglexpress for failing to comply with certain conditions within the stipulated timeframes.

At the same press conference, Suasa Airlines chief executive officer Captain Sheikh Salleh Abod pointed to Mavcom's operating cost, saying it was "exorbitant" as it had ballooned to nearly 40 times, from RM60,000 per year since it began operations on March 1, 2016.

"Mavcom is not efficient in governing the country's airline industry and it is bringing more harm than good. We urge the new PH government to study back the feasibility of Mavcom, which brings nothing but sadness to the aviation industry," Sheikh Salleh added. 

In January 2017, Suasa Airlines pleaded guilty to operating without a valid air service permit and was fined RM380,000. Apart from Eaglexpress and Suasa Airlines, the aviation regulator had also cracked the whip on Rayani Air, which had its air service licence revoked. 

Both Azlan and Sheikh Salleh suggested should Mavcom be repealed, that the duty to govern the airline industry be placed under the purview of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA).

"In the past, when the DCA was managing the country's airline scene, it was less than 10 people. It was efficient and certainly does not incur a very high cost, which I think is like around RM50,000 per year to RM60,000 per year," Sheikh Salleh said. 

Mavcom is an independent economic regulatory body established pursuant to the Malaysian Aviation Commission Act 2015 (Act 771). Its mission is to promote a commercially-viable, consumer-oriented and resilient civil aviation industry that supports Malaysia’s growth.

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