The association, known as 4PAM, described the charge as akin to “protection money” being collected from aircraft passengers.
The levy, called a regulatory service charge, was imposed from May 1 by the Malaysian Aviation Commission, said 4PAM president Ajit Johl.
He said the previous Barisan Nasional government had agreed to impose the charge so that Mavcom could be self-sufficient from 2018, as revenue from the charge is expected to match operational costs of RM 25-30 million.
“This does not make any sense,” he said. Mavcom was set up and empowered to protect aviation users’ interest, yet Mavcom was charging the same users to protect them. This is akin to ‘protection money’,” he said.
He called for Mavcom’s accounts to be made available for public scrutiny. Mavcom had been issued an initial government grant for it to begin operations but until today had failed to disclose how much it had paid consultants, and how much it had used on its operations and salaries.
“Has Mavcom something to hide? Even Sdn Bhd (private company) accounts are available for scrutiny via the SSM (Companies Commission of Malaysia) website”, said Ajit.
He also questioned the need for Mavcom’s existence.
The commission was set up in 2016 as an independent body to regulate commercial matters relating to civil aviation, such as traffic rights. It was in the news recently when AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes accused it of applying pressure on the airline to reduce its cheap flights during the general election season.
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