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Industry / Licensing / Air Service Licence

Air Service Licence

An Air Service Licence (ASL) is required to transport passengers, mail or cargo for hire or reward by air between any two (2) or more places, of which one (1) falls within Malaysia’s borders. This shall not apply to a person who is permitted to operate a scheduled journey to or from Malaysia under the terms of any agreement or arrangement entered into by the Malaysian Government, such as foreign air carriers designated to fly to Malaysia under Air Service Agreements.   

Every licence includes specific legally-binding conditions on the services that the licensee is authorised to operate, the validity period of the licence as well as other conditions to which the licence is subjected to.

An ASL apply only to journeys with a fixed schedule, such as timetabled commercial flights. For unscheduled journeys, the correct permit to apply for is the Air Service Permit.

Successful applicants will be initially issued with a Conditional Approval, allowing the applicants to apply to the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) for an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) for their proposed operations. An ASL will only be issued to the applicant who holds a valid AOC issued by the CAAM.

Applying for an Air Service Licence (ASL)

Any person looking to apply for an ASL should fill in and submit this form to MAVCOM via the AeroLicence portal, along with all relevant information listed in Attachment C of the ASL application form.

Applications are assessed by MAVCOM based on a range of criteria, including but not limited to the following:

  • whether the applicant is a company incorporated in Malaysia and is directly under the control of a Malaysian company as well as the ownership structure of the applicant;
  • demand for air transport in the proposed areas of operation;
  • the experience and competency of the management team of the company;
  • the feasibility of the proposed business plan;
  • the financial viability of the business; and
  • the existence of other similar services, their efficiency and regularity in the industry.

An application for an ASL will require a minimum of 90 days to process. The Commission will only initiate the evaluation process of an application upon receipt of a complete submission together with the prescribed fees. An incomplete application may result in a delay in processing and possible rejection. The latest MAVCOM decisions relating to ASL can be found here.

In the event where the Licence Holder fails to comply with any conditions imposed by the Commission on the Licence, MAVCOM has the right to make variations to, revoke, or suspend the existing Licence.

MAVCOM may award an ASL for a period of up to ten (10) years from its date of effect.

Renewing an Air Service Licence (ASL)

To renew your ASL, a written application should be submitted to MAVCOM including all information listed in Attachment C of the ASL application form.

Every holder of an ASL is required to provide regular financial and operational reports to MAVCOM as part of their licence’s conditions.

An application for the renewal of a licence shall be made at least 90 days before the date of expiry of the existing licence and shall be accompanied by the prescribed fees.