# Malaysian Aviation Commission

The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Malay: Suruhanjaya Penerbangan Malaysia; officially abbreviated as MAVCOM) is a regulatory body for the aviation industry in Malaysia under the Ministry of Transport. Established in 2016, it entrusted to regulate the economic and consumer issues of the civil aviation sector.

## History

MAVCOM was established on 1 March 2016 under the Malaysian Aviation Commission Act 2015 (Act 771) to regulate economic and commercial matters related to the Malaysian civil aviation industry. Its key role is to promote a commercially viable, consumer-oriented and resilient civil aviation industry which supports the nation's economic growth. As an independent agency, MAVCOM's role is different from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and the Ministry of Transport.
In addition, MAVCOM enforces a protection code for air travellers in Malaysia by introduced the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code (MACPC) in July 2016. This code aims to protect and educate consumers of their travel rights and benefits while ensuring that airlines and airports are fully responsible and accountable for the quality of service it offered.
In June 2018, MAVCOM launches a smart app called FlySmart. The app was developed to made it easier for air traveller to lodge any enquiries and complaints on problems encountered in their flights.

### Proposed merger with CAAM

In December 2019, the Ministry of Transport announced the merger of MAVCOM and CAAM to create a standalone aviation regulator. The proposed merger is said "to optimise staff and financials, as well as making the civil aviation industry more competitive" and will see the CAAM reabsorbing the commission's economic and commercial functions, in addition to its own technical and safety oversight activities. Though the merger was supposed to have been completed by the second quarter of 2021, however, the anticipated merger did not materialized as both MAVCOM and CAAM remains a separate entity.
The merger of both aviation bodies received negative feedbacks from aviation industry players, with the MAVCOM Executive Chairman Nungsari Ahmad Radhi disappointed with the MoT's decision to merge the commission with the CAAM, claiming that "such a decision was made with seeming disdain and without consultation" with them. Former Deputy Transport Minister, Aziz Kaprawi also objected the merger, saying that "it will remove checks and balances". Some parties also express their concerns on the merger with some them demanded that MAVCOM should remain independent, with the Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) asked the MoT to retain the commission "to promote consumer interest".
In October 2023, Transport Minister, Anthony Loke announced that a bill for proposed merger between MAVCOM and CAAM will be tabled on the Parliament in 2024. On 13 June 2024, it was announced that the two bodies is expected to merge by 2025 with a merger date yet to be announced. Eleven days later, on 24 June, two new bills for the merger of MAVCOM and CAAM were tabled at the Parliament by the Deputy Transport Minister, Hasbi Habibollah and approved by the Dewan Rakyat two days later. The bills were subsequently passed by the Dewan Negara on 30 July. On 11 September, both bills were granted royal assent and were gazetted on 25 September. On 20 December, the tentative date for the merger of MAVCOM and CAAM has been finalized and will be announced later.

## Act and functions

MAVCOM's functions are clearly defined by the MAVCOM Act 2015. As prescribed in the Act 771, among the functions of the commission include:
* Regulates economic matters related to civil aviation
* Providing mechanism for consumer protection
* Providing mechanism for dispute resolutions between aviation industry players
* Oversees and administers air traffic rights
* Advised the Government on economic issues
* Manages routes under public service obligations