SEPANG, Jan 10 — The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) is targeting to complete its consultation paper on the proposed enhancement to the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code (MACPC) by June this year.
Chief operating officer Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin said the consultation paper, which was published on October 19 last year, needed to undergo a robust process involving many stakeholders including airlines.
“We had a consultation process last year (and) we hope to get another follow-up session with the airlines this month.
“(After getting) the approvals from internal (authorities), we hope to see it gazetted before June,” he told a media briefing titled ‘Airline 101‘ here today.
Raja Azmi was one of the speakers at the programme alongside Malaysia Airlines Group (MAG) chief executive officer (CEO) of Airlines Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi and Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) CEO Captain Norazman Mahmud.
He said the consultation paper would then be submitted to the Ministry of Transport in order to gazette it as new regulations in the Malaysian aviation industry.
As enforced since 2016, MACPC requires airlines to refund travellers if flights are cancelled or significantly changed.
The proposed amendments under MACPC 3.0 includes refunds in the original mode of payment for flight disruptions and this new provision will effectively eliminate any inconsistencies in the types of refunds accorded to consumers.
Additionally, the commission further proposes that airlines should offer a refund in the original mode of payment should a flight be delayed.
The consultation paper also proposes a new provision to protect consumers who have paid monies in advance for flight tickets or travel passes in the event the airline is unable to render services as promised due to a financial crisis such as a debt restructuring exercise, liquidation or licensing issues.
Airline 101 is an annual familiarisation programme organised for journalists to better understand the complexities of airline operations and the role of regulatory bodies and operators within the aviation ecosystem.
— Bernama
