Newsroom / Announcements / Amendments to the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016 (“MACPC”)

The Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection (Amendment) Code 2019 [P.U. (B) 250/2019] has been gazetted on 10 May 2019 and will come into force on 1 June 2019.

The Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016 (MACPC) which came into operation on 1 July 2016 was formulated with the main aim of protecting the rights and interests of air passengers. The MACPC was drafted in line with the Montreal Convention 1999 as well as the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Core Principles on Consumer Protection.

The amendments made to the MACPC have taken into consideration feedback from consumers and consultations with industry players.

The amendments to the MACPC include insertions of new provisions and enhancements of existing provisions. The key amendments relate to various matters including:

1. full disclosure of final price of air fare;
2. disclosure of key terms and conditions before the purchase of a ticket;
3. remittance of refunds within 30 days;
4. communication, and compensation and care for planned flight rescheduling and route cessation;
5. entitlement of a wheelchair service for persons with disability;
6. the obligations of the airlines to publish on their website the consumer rights under the MACPC regardless of whether a travel insurance has been purchased by the consumer; and
7. obligation of aviation service providers to ensure knowledge of MACPC amongst its employees.

The Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection (Amendment) Code 2019 can be found here.