KUALA LUMPUR (April 8): The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) said it is providing flexibility for airlines to resolve consumer complaints and refund requests, given the current challenging circumstances, but urged airlines to resolve these issues as timely as possible.

In a statement, Mavcom said the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in one of the most challenging periods in the history of the aviation industry, noting the plunge in passenger travel and airline revenues.

Its base case scenario forecasts passenger traffic in Malaysia to decline between 36.2% and 38.1% year-on-year in 2020 due to the pandemic, also noting the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s projection of a 34% to 44% drop in passenger demand in Asia Pacific nations.

“To date, airlines operating in Malaysia have indicated a cancellation of approximately 13.6 million seats, or 12.3% of annual scheduled operations.

“The Malaysian carriers have correspondingly received an inordinately high volume of passenger refund requests, which their resources are currently striving to manage,” said Mavcom.

Due to this, the airlines may take longer than usual to respond to consumers, it said, as the financial challenges faced by airlines have also coincided with them needing to adopt varying form of refunds, including cash, vouchers, credit shell or deferment of travel.

While the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code (MACPC) requires airlines to resolve complaints and remit refunds to consumers within 30 days of the receipt of the complaints, the commission said it will provide some leeway for airlines, in terms of the time needed to respond and complete refund requests, given the prevailing circumstances.

“At the same time, to ensure consumer interests remain protected, the commission is requiring the airlines to resolve complaints and refund requests as timely as possible on a best efforts basis, and the Commission shall monitor the airlines’ performance in this spirit,” it said.

While consumers may receive compensation for flight disruptions under the MACPC, Mavcom said the regulation does not apply where the flight disruption is due to an extraordinary circumstance outside of the airline’s control.

It highlighted that the containment measures imposed due to COVID-19 involve national quarantines and travel bans worldwide, which is a situation deemed as an extraordinary circumstance, as airlines will have to abide to security and safety measures.

The commission has prepared an FAQ on its FlySmart website, which consumers may refer to for information on refund requests during the COVID-19 period.

Consumers can visit https://flysmart.my/en/make-a-complaint/ or call Mavcom’s hotline at 1800 18 6966 for more information.

“The commission is very sympathetic towards the plight of consumers who have been inconvenienced and will continue its efforts for air travel consumer protection in Malaysia. We nevertheless also hope all stakeholders work together in these unprecedented circumstances for the longer-term survival and benefit of the aviation industry in Malaysia,” it said.