PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) saw a 233% jump in air traffic rights (ATR) application rate for the final quarter of 2020, compared with 12 applications received in the previous quarter, attributed to higher scheduled air cargo services and new domestic routings, according to its quarterly report.
For fourth-quarter 2020, the commission approved 93% out of 43 ATR applications received from airlines, with 14 ATRs approved for international destinations and the remaining 26 for domestic routes.
It said that out of the 14 international destinations approved, four were given to destinations in China, two Europe, and two India. The remaining six were for other Asian destinations.
In terms of allocation by airports, Mavcom stated that 17 ATRs were issued for flights originating from KL International Airport, six from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, five from Kota Kinabalu International Airport and 12 from other Malaysian airports.
On the breakdown by airlines, it said Malaysia Airlines received the highest number of approvals with a total of 11 ATRs, followed by AirAsia Group with 10 ATRs approved.
This is followed by MyJet Xpress Airline, Raya Airways and Fly Firefly with nine, six and four ATR allocations respectively.
The commission’s executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim commented that while the path to recovery for the aviation sector will be a long one, there are pockets of growth in the cargo segment.
“The commission observes that the cargo segment has been growing in tandem with logistics needs and we are seeing the local players adapting to this new need,” he said in a statement.
In addition, Saripuddin stated that as an economic regulator, Mavcom recognises the difficulties faced by airlines from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the need to facilitate airlines as they endeavour to resume full services.
With that in mind, the commission has temporarily relaxed the condition that automatically revokes unutilised ATRs within six months from the date of approval since June 4, 2020.
He explained that this move is to alleviate the administrative challenges faced by airlines and allow scheduled airlines to keep their current ATR portfolio active.
“As a result, no ATRs have expired between Oct 1 and Dec 31, 2020 and we will continue to work towards reviving the aviation sector,” the executive chairman added.
