KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 12): The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom), which regulates economic and commercial matters relating to civil aviation, said it has put in place dedicated hotlines and channels to assist consumers affected by the abrupt suspension of low-cost carrier MYAirline Sdn Bhd’s flight operations.

Early Thursday morning, cash-strapped MYAirline issued a statement noting that it is suspending its flight operations effective immediately until further notice.

Mavcom added that MYAirline was instructed by the commission to immediately discontinue the sale and booking of flights from all booking platforms until further notice.

Meanwhile, the commission is currently investigating the airline, based on internal reviews and complaints received regarding the airline’s unpaid statutory payments to its employees, among others. "Mavcom will provide further developments with regard to MYAirline’s operations in due course."

This comes after MYAirline on Monday received an extension for its air operator’s certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), allowing it to operate scheduled commercial flights for another two years. The AOC had expired on Sept 30. Meanwhile, another important aviation licence — the air service licence — from Mavcom to MYAirline will expire on Nov 14.

"Mavcom urges affected consumers who have made bookings with MYAirline for flights from Oct 12 onwards to contact the airline’s dedicated complaint channel for questions and assistance with regard to their booking at [email protected] (from 7am to 12 midnight) to initiate their refund process.

Mavcom’s dedicated channels are also in place to assist all affected consumers:

"The commission stands firm that MYAirline is still liable to refund consumers who have purchased tickets with the airline but are unable to travel," the economic regulator said.

"Mavcom has instructed MYAirline to immediately manage affected consumers which include, among others, notifying them of the suspension, and publishing the said notification in the airline’s available communication channels."

The commission said it is in close communication with MYAirline in addressing this issue.

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