INGENIEUR
MAVCOM –
STRENGTHENING
MALAYSIA’S CIVIL
AVIATION ECOSYSTEM
By Azmir Zain, Chief Operating Officer
Germal Singh Khera, Director, Aviation Department
Malaysian Aviation Commission
F
light engineers, also known as air engineers,
are an indispensable part of a flight crew.
Tasked to inspect the safety of a flight journey,
to address any and all mechanical concerns of an
aircraft before, during, and after a flight, their role
is crucial to the safety of the flight and passengers.
In addition to inspecting electrical, hydraulic,
mechanical and fuel systems before a flight, flight
engineers are also responsible for consulting the
weather forecast while checking the flight plan.
These duties are carried out by thousands
of engineers involved throughout the entire civil
aviation value chain. These engineers ensure the
smooth operations of the civil aviation ecosystem
and are regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority of
Malaysia (CAAM).
In addition to CAAM, there is another principal
regulator within the civil aviation sector in
Malaysia, which specifically regulates economic
and commercial matters. Established on March
1, 2016, the Malaysian Aviation Commission
(MAVCOM) was set up to promote a commercially
viable, consumer-oriented and resilient civil
aviation industry that supports the nation’s
economic growth. MAVCOM plays a dedicated
role in the aviation industry. It differs from the
Ministry of Transport (MoT), which is responsible
for industry policy-making and Government-to-
Government discussions (including spearheading
bilateral or multilateral negotiations on traffic
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rights), and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia
(CAAM), which serves to regulate technical and
safety matters for Malaysia’s civil aviation industry.
Figure 1 provides a clear distinction between the
roles of the three agencies.
MAVCOM’s functions, among others, are to
regulate economic matters relating to the civil
aviation industry, provide a mechanism for the
protection of consumers, administer and manage
air traffic rights, advise the Government, and
administer and manage routes under public
service obligations.
Among MAVCOM’s roles are driving industry
growth and championing the rights of travellers.
Prior to the establishment of MAVCOM, consumer
associations had trouble solving problems for
consumers in relation to aviation and their rights
as a traveller. It was not right that travellers were
not being protected, hence the mandate for the
Commission’s establishment.
The decision to restructure the sector and
create MAVCOM was a result of an extensive study
that was undertaken for the growth of the nation’s
aviation sector. As part of the International Civil
Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) policies in its Airport
Economics Manual, Governments may establish
an independent economic oversight entity with
the responsibility of reviewing and sanctioning any
action on pricing, investments and service quality.
Malaysia is not unique in having distinct entities