Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) director of consumer and public affairs Pushpalatha Subramaniam said consumers are also entitled to refunds for carbon fee charges if these are imposed by airlines.

“So far, only Malaysia Airlines has embarked on a voluntary carbon offset programme, under which consumers are entitled to receive refunds in the case of flight delays or cancellations,” she said during a question-and-answer session held in conjunction with today’s MACPC amendments briefing.

Pushpalatha reiterated that Mavcom does not regulate carbon fees, and it is up to the carriers to decide whether to impose it and to determine its value.

“The other carriers can impose it too, but consumers with refundable or non-refundable tickets can get refunds in cases where airlines impose a carbon fee.

“This is in addition to other mandatory refunds, such as fuel surcharges, taxes, fees and other charges like the departure levy and passenger services charges,” she added.

Addressing the recent situation involving a Seoul-bound Malaysia Airlines flight, Pushpalatha confirmed that passengers are entitled to refunds under the latest MACPC.

It was reported that a Malaysia Airlines flight to Incheon Airport in Seoul, South Korea, was forced to turn back shortly after taking off from KLIA.

In response to a question about the implications of Mavcom’s dissolution and its merger with the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, she said the ongoing process will not affect the MACPC.