Mavcom advising ministry to refurbish rural air services

KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) is currently advising the Ministry of Transport (MOT) on the refurbishment of the rural air services (RAS).

Its Chief Operating Officer, Azmir Zain, said that Mavcom was currently working with the State Government and Mavcom had conducted field trips in the state.

“We met up with the grassroots and the various stakeholders of RAS, which included hospitals, schools and administrative officers just so that we can identify and understand the needs and the requirements of RAS,” Azmir told reporters during a press conference at Le Meridien Hotel here yesterday.

When asked on the progress of the ongoing discussion, Azmir said that that MOT would have more authority to comment on the issue since they are the main custodian of RAS.

“However, what I can say is that air travel is a critical mode of transportion in Sabah and Sarawak. This is something that is very clear.

“The Federal Government had put its RAS programme in place since independence, which we think is a very good thing.

“The Federal Government is also developing the Pan Borneo Expressway. However, the connectivity into the rural inlands still requires a large degree of air connectivity. Hence, RAS is still vital,” he contended.

On a separate note, Azmir had also stressed that fact that Mavcom was always keen on advocating the rights of flight passengers, in which he reminded passengers to always be wary of their respective rights.

He cited the prohibition of automatically added optional services to a consumer’s purchase of a ticket as an example, whereby he said that a consumer could always choose to decline any services (such as opting for the travel insurance).

The public may lodge complaints to Mavcom through its website at www.mavcom.my.