KUALA LUMPUR – The tentative date for the merger of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) has been set and will be revealed later by the Transport Ministry.
According to CAAM chief executive officer Datuk Captain Norazman Mahmud, the date was set after Parliament approved two bills related to the aviation industry on July 30, namely the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Dissolution) Bill 2024.
“I will let the minister announce the date. It will be next year. Ideally, what we want to do is move together with the bills’ effective date,” he said during a media appreciation luncheon organised by CAAM today.
Norazman also said CAAM is still bound under the Public Service Department for salary scheme and staff recruitment.
“The agencies or entities still have time to prepare in terms of streamlining all the processes,” he said.
According to him, the move is aimed at enhancing efficiency within the aviation industry by fostering better communication between the economic and technical regulators.
Norazman said the restructuring would streamline processes, making it faster and easier for companies to start airlines, offer ground handling services as well as expand to new destinations, ultimately supporting the industry’s growth and development.
The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Dissolution) Bill 2024 involves the dissolution of Mavcom and the transfer of all its functions and powers to CAAM.
This single mechanism is also used in most countries that operate the world’s main air transport sectors such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Singapore and China.
On a separate matter, Norazman said CAAM will be implementing remote air traffic control (ATC) towers for the Penang and Johor airports next year as part of an initiative to boost safety and cost-effective operations.
He said the remote towers will enable ATC services to be provided for the airports from a remote location, instead of being operated from the conventional ATC tower.
“At the moment, it is not suitable for high-intensity airports like Kuala Lumpur International Airport, but as we progress, the ultimate goal is to have remote towers for airports across the country,” he added. – December 20, 2024