PETALING JAYA: There is a steady recovery in the uptrend of Air Traffic Rights (ATR) allocations for fourth-quarter 2022 (Q4’22) as the aviation industry navigates the post-pandemic phase of Covid-19, according to the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) which published its ATR report for Q4’22, which included 44 ATR allocations for Malaysian civil aviation from October to December 2022.
In total, the Commission received a 15.8% increase in ATR applications compared to the third quarter of 2022 (Q3’22), during which the Commission approved 100% of ATR applications received. The ATR allocations for the fourth quarter of 2022 included 28 international and 16 domestic routes.
“Wrapping up a year of recovery for airlines and the aviation industry, the Commission is pleased to report that ATR applications submitted in Q4 2022 reached 12.8% of ATR applications received before the pandemic in Q4 2019,” said executive chairman of Mavcom, Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim
He said the gradual resumption of air travel since the reopening of regional and international borders has boosted the ATR applications rate for the quarter, which was especially driven by the opening of new domestic routes.
“Reflecting this is the significant 220% increase in ATR applications received and awarded for local destinations in Q4 2022, which is mostly attributed to MYAirline, the country’s newest low-cost passenger airline that began operating in December 2022,” he added.
In terms of year-on-year comparison, Mavcom reported a 31% increase in ATR applications in 2022 versus 2021, and a 29% increase versus 2020. Following a steady recovery through 2022, ATR applications reached 78% of the commission’s pre-pandemic ATR applications in 2019.
Furthermore, Mavcom approved 52 more ATRs for international passenger travel in 2022 than in 2021, indicating the positive impact of global border re-openings which set the industry on the road to recovery.
ATR applications for the cargo sector, however, were down by 80% in the current quarter, with only two applications submitted, compared with 10 in Q3’22. Year-on-year, ATR cargo applications fell by 85% in Q4’22 compared with Q4’21, owing to lower demand for cargo freighter business as passenger belly space has increased significantly following the surge in air travel.
