KUALA LUMPUR: The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) aims to achieve zero fatalities in scheduled commercial operations via "unbreakable" safety compliance measures.
CAAM chief executive officer Captain Norazman Mahmud said priority would be given to areas that call for action to improve the safety of Malaysia's aviation industry.
He, however, did not divulge the details of the areas involved.
"Safety is a dynamic characteristic of the aviation system, whereby safety risks must be continuously mitigated.
"Our hopes for the aviation industry are that in the coming years, CAAM will be able to put in place an increasingly effective, robust and eventually more sophisticated safety oversight system to achieve zero fatalities in scheduled commercial operations," he said.
Norazman said aviation being a dynamic and ever-evolving industry required CAAM to consistently improve and upgrade its capabilities.
Among the improvements that it has undertaken include the relocation of the Kuala Lumpur Information Region (KL FIR), which is the backbone of the country's air traffic control (ATC) functions, to the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre (KLATCC) in Sepang.
KL FIR previously operated from an old building in Subang until the relocation, which took place on Sept 1 last year.
Norazman said the KLATCC's cutting-edge facilities would also improve flight landings using the Instrument Landing System and RNAV — a navigational technique that allows aircraft operation on desired flight paths within the range of ground- or space-based navigational aids.
The move would not only result in enhanced and modernised air traffic services, but also improved flight path, resulting in shorter aircraft waiting times, increasing flight efficiency and reducing delays.
"It will also increase the level of flight safety through the reduction of radio congestion and reduce workload for the ATCs, as well as increase the capacity of airspace and aircraft movement at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
"KLIA's runway capacity will be increased from 78 to 108 aircraft movements per hour.
"Digitalisation efforts have also allowed for more effective coordination."
The relocation, Norazman said, also enabled CAAM, which is the country's main aeronautical search-and-rescue agency, to strengthen the safety and security of the civil aviation industry with improved coordination and cooperation between the agency and the Malaysian Air Force and neighbouring agencies.
KLATCC, which was officiated by former prime minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob, is one of the development projects under the 11th Malaysia Plan, costing around RM650.3 million.