He said strict action must be taken against airlines to ensure flight cancellations or rescheduling did not occur.

He said at present, airlines that cancelled or delayed flights due to factors under their control, such as technical-related issues or an inability to meet passenger demand, must reimburse passengers within 30 days or offer alternative flights as stipulated under the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code, which came into effect in 2016.

“If the airlines fail to comply, Mavcom may impose a fine not exceeding RM200,000.

“A second instance of non-compliance will lead to a fine ten times the amount of the initial fine,” he said in a parliamentary reply.

He was responding to a question from Wilfred Madius Tangau (PH-Tuaran) on the measures taken to avoid flight rescheduling by airlines.

Loke said from 2018 until January this year, Mavcom had imposed fines amounting to RM4.72 million on airlines that failed to comply with the code.

He said Mavcom was currently working on improving the code, adding that improvements will be in place by the second quarter of this year.

Last October, Mavcom proposed amendments to the code to better safeguard the interests of air travellers.

The proposed amendments cover refunds, passenger entitlement and the removal of cancelled flights from the booking systems of airlines.