SEPANG: AirAsia today said it would not respond to the Malaysian Aviation Commission’s (Mavcom) request for documented details of congestion at klia2’s immigration counters.
It said the onus was on the commission to go to the ground to inspect and investigate the issue highlighted by the low-cost airline.
“Why do we need to provide evidence when the issue had been highlighted publicly in the news and on social media platforms?
“It only further proves Mavcom’s inaction, indolence and blatant disregard of its responsibility in protecting the rights of aviation consumers.
“It only takes Mavcom officials a few hours off from their KL Sentral office for a quick visit to klia2 to see for themselves how severe the situation is at immigration counters during peak hours.
“They (Mavcom) can come on any day, as it is a daily occurrence and not an isolated incident as alleged,” said AirAsia Bhd chief executive officer Riad Asmat in a statement, here, this evening.
He also alleged that no one from Mavcom had ever visited AirAsia’s head office RedQ, which was right next to klia2.
This was when the leading low-cost airline received streams of visitors, including foreign regulators and policymakers visiting its headquarter to better understand the low-cost carrier (LCC) model of AirAsia, he added.
“And mind you, we are talking about AirAsia here, the main LCC from Malaysia that is now the 13th largest airline group in the world.
“Are we not important to Mavcom, and Malaysia?” Riad said.
Mavcom has, since May, 2018, collected RM1 from each air passenger flying out of airports in Malaysia.
In 2017, then deputy transport minister Datuk Aziz Kaprawi commenting on the RM1 regulatory fee to be collected by airlines on behalf of Mavcom, had said that the regulatory charge was only justified due to services rendered by Mavcom, including complaints management and consumer awareness activities which had to be conducted from time to time.
AirAsia X Bhd chief executive officer Benyamin Ismail said Malaysians needed to hold Mavcom accountable for their blatant disregard in upholding and protecting the rights of aviation consumers who contribute to their coffers.
He said, in the meantime, the immigration congestion at klia2 was worsening by the day, badly affecting AirAsia passengers.
“This is not the first instance of Mavcom’s reluctance to act on complaints and issues, and I am sure it won’t be the last”, Benyamin said.
He said the RM480 million lawsuit that AirAsia had filed against MAHB for operational losses at klia2 two weeks ago was a result of Mavcom’s refusal to decide on the dispute as requested in their earlier notification to them.
“Mavcom also refused to mediate in the klia2 passenger service charge (PSC) dispute between AirAsia and MAHB, and it took the Cabinet to decide on a lower PSC for klia2 and other airports. All this clearly goes contrary to Section 75 of its own Mavcom Act 2015”, he said.
Despite AirAsia’s criticism of Mavcom, the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) said the regulatory body must stay for the sake of upholding airline passengers’ rights.
CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader said since the inception of Mavcom, there had been calls by certain parties in the aviation industry for the commission to be shut down.
The excuse given was that Mavcom impeded the growth of the Malaysian aviation industry and was commonly used by airline companies as a way to negatively portray the commission, he said.
“However to CAP, an association that hears and handles consumer complaints, we know that Mavcom is a boon to airline passengers”.
Mohideen said, in the past, airline passenger complaints frequently went unresolved because airlines did not have to be accountable for their actions (or lack of action).
He added that airline passengers usually complained about issues related to refunds, baggage handling and not being informed about flight cancellation/postponement.
“When CAP or passengers themselves brought these complaints to their attention, the airline companies had no problem shirking their responsibility because they did not have to answer to anyone and there was no dedicated avenue for airline passengers to forward their grievances, he added.
“Now, because of Mavcom we have the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code (MACPC).
“This code legally states the rights of airline passengers and airline companies can no longer play ignorant when their mistakes are brought to light.
“The existence of the MACPC has made it so that airlines have to be more careful in their operations and that complaints by their passengers are addressed accordingly”.
Mohideen said CAP suspected that this was the true reason why airline companies kept attacking Mavcom, because they no longer had the freedom to do as they wished at the expense of their customers.
“After all, let us not forget that Mavcom not only oversees the operation of airlines but have also set certain standards for airports; standards that if not adhered to will result in penalties.
“Yet clearly the opposition to Mavcom is coming from airline companies and not airports”.
Mohideen added that it was frustrating to hear that Transport Minister Anthony Loke was not looking at how much good Mavcom had done for all airline passengers in Malaysia but instead was giving in to pressure from the airline companies.
“Mavcom must stay so that airline passengers retain their rights.
“We ask that all parties involved put an end to the calls to abolish Mavcom and instead work on bettering their operations so that airline passengers do not have a reason to complain”.