KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — The Ministry of Transport (MOT) is expected to table a bill on the proposed merger between the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) into one entity during the first sitting of Parliament next year.

Minister Anthony Loke said MOT is now making all the necessary arrangements to merge the two regulators into one single regulator for both technical and economic regulations.

"We need to amend both Acts together, first to repeal the Malaysian Aviation Commission Act 2015 and to amend the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia Act 2017 that we have to combine the powers into CAAM.

"That is definitely a long process, not only in terms of amending the law but also combining the operations, our hope is that we can do it by next year,” he told reporters after gracing the Emirates and Batik Air Malaysia codeshare agreement, today,

Commenting on the MYAirline issue, Loke said the ministry is still investigating whether the airline has gone through a proper procedure before being granted with initial Air Service Licence (ASL) by Mavcom.

"That is something that Mavcom has to be answerable to and they have to be accountable in the process of granting the licence,” he added.

The Emirates-Batik Air Malaysia partnership will allow Emirates’ customers to access five domestic Malaysian cities and three regional South-east Asia points operated by Batik Air via the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

In line with the agreement, Emirates will place its code on Batik Air-operated flights to Penang, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Langkawi, Johor Baru, Denpasar, Jakarta and Singapore, offering passengers a seamless travel experience using a single ticket.

Loke said the Emirates-Batik Air Malaysia collaboration will pave the way for Malaysia to leverage every opportunity to establish the KLIA as the primary aviation hub that enhances regional connectivity.

"This partnership serves as a testament to the boundless possibilities that lie ahead for the aviation industry in Malaysia,” he said. — Bernama