KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) has received and approved all 44 Air Traffic Rights (ATR) applications in the fourth quarter of 2022 (Q4 2022).
In a statement today, Mavcom said 4Q’s ATR applications, which consisted of 28 international and 16 domestic routes, showed an increase of 15.8% compared with Q3 2022.
“Wrapping up a year of recovery for airlines and the aviation industry, the commission is pleased to report that ATR applications submitted in Q4 2022 reached 12.8% of ATR applications received before the pandemic in Q4 2019.
“The gradual resumption of air travel since the reopening of regional and international borders has boosted the ATR applications rate for the quarter, which was especially driven by the opening of new domestic routes,” said executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim.
Mavcom said, of the 44 ATRs allocated, MYAirline was awarded the highest number of approvals, receiving 12 out of 16 domestic ATRs, followed by AirAsia, AirAsia X, and Batik Air Malaysia with nine ATRs each.
Meanwhile, Firefly and Raya Airways were each granted two ATRs, and Malaysia Airlines was awarded one ATR approval.
In terms of year-on-year comparison, Mavcom reported a 31% jump in ATR applications in 2022 compared to 2021 and an increase of 29% compared to 2020.
It said following steady recovery throughout 2022, ATR applications reached 78% of the pre-pandemic level in 2019.
Mavcom said it also approved 52 more ATRs in 2022 than in 2021 for international passenger travel, indicating the positive impact of worldwide border re-openings that set the industry on the path of recovery.
Saripuddin said to support the aviation industry’s recovery, Mavcom had granted ATR approvals to airlines for new destinations across the Asia Pacific, such as Australia and Bangladesh, among others.
“This included approval for 4,241 extra seats for scheduled services to Australia, daily flights to Dubai, seven weekly flights each for Jeddah and Madinah, as well as Amritsar and Trivandrum in India.
“The commission also approved daily direct routes from Penang to Singapore and Kuala Namu, Indonesia,” he said.
Saripuddin added that Mavcom is confident that the nation’s aviation industry will stay on a steady path to recovery by 2024, as forecast by the International Air Transport Association. – Bernama, January 31, 2023
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