KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 22): The Malaysia Aviation Commission (Mavcom) must stay for the sake of upholding airline passengers' rights, said the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP).

In a statement today, CAP said since the inception of Mavcom there have been calls by certain parties in the aviation industry for the commission to be shut down and that the excuse given has always been that Mavcom impedes the growth of the Malaysian aviation industry.

"This excuse is commonly used by airline companies as a way to negatively portray Mavcom," it said.

CAP said it believed that Mavcom is a boon to airline passengers.

In the past, airline passenger complaints frequently went unresolved because airlines did not have to be accountable for their actions or lack of action.

"Now because of Mavcom we have the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code (MACPC)," CAP added.

This code legally states the rights of airline passengers, and airline companies can no longer play ignorant when their mistakes are brought to light. MACPC's existence has made it so that airlines have to be more careful in their operations and assure that complaints by passengers are addressed properly.

The association noted that those were the reasons why airline companies kept attacking Mavcom as they no longer had the freedom to do as they wished at the expense of their customers.

"After all, let us not forget that Mavcom not only oversees the operation of airlines but have also set certain standards for airports; standards that if not adhered to will result in penalties.

"Yet clearly the opposition to Mavcom is coming from airline companies and not airports," it added.

CAP voiced out its frustration as the Transport Minister is giving in to the pressure of the opposing airline companies instead of seeing the good in Mavcom.

The association stressed that Mavcom must stay so that airline passengers retain their rights.

"We ask that all parties involved put an end to the calls to abolish Mavcom and instead work on bettering their operations so that airline passengers do not have a reason to complain," CAP said.