KUALA LUMPUR (April 19): Cargo airline MyJet Xpress Airlines Sdn Bhd received the highest number of Air Traffic Rights (ATR) applications approval in the first quarter of the year (1Q21), said the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom).

MyJet Xpress’s affiliates and partners are Neptune Capital Inc of Malaysia, Airmark Aviation, My Indo Airlines of Indonesia.

In a statement today, Mavcom said of the 24 ATR approvals for 1Q21, MyJet Xpress received the highest number of approvals, totalling 12 ATRs.

It is followed by Malaysia Airlines Bhd, AirAsia Group Bhd and Raya Airways Sdn Bhd with six, four and two ATR approvals, respectively.

In its first quarter ATR report released today, Mavcom said ATR applications in the quarter recorded a 100% approval from the commission on the 24 ATR applications received from airlines.

It said of this, 21 ATR allocations are for international routes, while the remaining three are for domestic routes.

The commission said the ATR application rate reduced by 51.7% in contrast with the 43 ATR applications in the final quarter of 2020.

It said there was also a 33.33% increase compared with 1Q20's 18 ATR applications.

Mavcom executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim said in view of the Covid-19 impact, the commission recognises and continues to analyse the challenges faced by airlines.

“We are pleased to note that the eased condition provided to airlines is able [to] support the continued recovery of the sector as it gradually prepares for resumption of full services in the future.

“Coupled with this, the commission continues to observe a healthy growth of the cargo segment given the accelerated and increased demand for logistics needs.

“This demonstrates the agility and resilience of the sector in overcoming the pandemic as we look forward to positive development for the nation’s aviation sector,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mavcom said the quarter noted extraordinary circumstances, whereby no expiration of ATRs was recorded due to the implementation of measures by the commission to ease challenges faced by airlines during the pandemic.

It said this ease of condition was implemented to facilitate the airlines’ administrative and regulatory challenges and enabled them to keep their current ATR portfolio active.

This marks the second consecutive quarter without any expiration of ATRs.

However, this does not apply to ATRs that have been deemed expired and automatically revoked, as well as ATRs for routes that airlines have wilfully terminated on their own accord.