KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) may be dissolved by the end of June next year, people familiar with the matter tell The Vibes.
Details were scant but the plan, mooted under then Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, would see Mavcom ceding key functions to the Civil Aviation Authority Malaysia (CAAM).
The merger was initially scheduled for this year but due to a change in government end-February, which saw the collapse of PH, the plan was put on hold, sources said.
“However, it (the merger) is back on but with no immediate date in sight. Things are also in limbo as to next steps if Mavcom is disbanded.”
The Vibes’ queries on the merger to the Transport Ministry, now under the leadership of Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, went unanswered.
When then transport minister Anthony Loke mooted the idea last year, he received flak as it was far from a merger of equals.
This was because the proposal came on the back of a downgrade of Malaysia’s air safety ranking to Category 2 by the US Federal Aviation Administration (US FAA), and with it, concerns of knee-jerk restrictions by other countries imposed on Malaysian carriers.
Findings of the US FAA, benchmarked against the International Civil Aviation Organisation safety standards, was compiled in a report classified by the Malaysian government as an official secret.
Mavcom, unlike CAAM which derives its powers from the minister, is independent. It also lacks issues systemic to CAAM such as a weak balance sheet, underpaid staff and lack of expertise.
Mavcom earns RM1 from every outbound passenger through the regulatory service charge helping it sustain operations.
But Loke at that time disregarded Mavcom’s strengths and pushed forward with the merger, believing that it would, among others, enhance governance and deliver better services. – The Vibes, October 6, 2020
Reporting by Amar Shah Mohsen and Emmanuel Samarathisa
