Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia

Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM)
Pihak Berkuasa Penerbangan Awam Malaysia
ڤيهق بركواس ڤنربڠن عوام مليسيا
Agency overview
Formed1969 (1969)
Preceding agency
  • Department of Civil Aviation (DCA)
JurisdictionGovernment of Malaysia
HeadquartersPutrajaya, Malaysia
Minister responsible
Deputy Minister responsible
Agency executives
  • Datuk Mohd Sharil Tarmizi, Chairman
  • Captain Norazman Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer
Parent departmentMinistry of Transport
Child agency
  • Malaysian Aviation Academy (MAvA)
Key documents
Websitewww.caam.gov.my

The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM, Malay: Pihak Berkuasa Penerbangan Awam Malaysia; Jawi: ڤيهق بركواس ڤنربڠن عوام مليسيا‎), previously known as the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA, Malay: Jabatan Penerbangan Awam), is a Malaysian government agency under the Ministry of Transport Malaysia. Established in 1969, it entrusted to oversees the technical issues related to the civil aviation sector in Malaysia. On 19 February 2018, DCA was incorporated into a statutory body and renamed as CAAM.[1] On 1 August 2025, CAAM and the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) was merged to establish a standalone aviation regulatory body, which saws CAAM will assumed regulatory functions the latter previously carried out.

Background

CAAM headquarters in Putrajaya.

The incorporation of CAAM is in line with requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Under this new agency, CAAM is making great strides to strengthen the nation's aviation standards as well as addressing existing challenges, to advance Malaysia in the aviation sector in line with the country's aspiration to be the leading hub for the industry regionally as well as globally.

The regulatory responsibility of civil aviation technical matters is vested in CAAM. Its main role is to contribute to the development of Malaysia's civil aviation technical sector and mandated to comply with ICAO's standards so as to keep aviation safe, secure and efficient. Malaysia is a proud Council member of ICAO from 2007 and has since maintained its membership in the Council for three consecutive terms while making significant contributions to the development of civil aviation's safety and security.

History

The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) was established in 1969 under the Civil Aviation Act 1969 [Act 3] to administer and regulate the civil aviation industry as well as to provide systematic air control services to airplanes.[2] In 1976, the DCA became the self-accounting department under the Ministry of Transport.[2]

In November 1992, the department is separated into two entities, namely the DCA and the Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB). The DCA remains the regulatory body for the airports and aviation industry in Malaysia, whilst the newly-established Malaysia Airports to focus on the operation, management, and maintenance of airports.[3][4][5]

By 2001, the department moved its corporate headquarters from Wisma Semantan, Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya.[2]

In November 2016, the DCA became a statutory body and was renamed as the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM),[6][7] through the enactment of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia Bill 2016.[8] The transformation into a statutory body and rebranding from DCA to CAAM took effective 19 February 2018,[9][10] in line with the Government's goal to spur the Malaysian aviation industry to a greater heights.[11]

In October 2022, the authority reinstated as a Category 1 safety and technical regulator by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The reinstatement will strengthen Malaysia's position as an aviation hub and improve its network connectivity.[12][13][14][15]

Merger with MAVCOM

In December 2019, the Ministry of Transport announced that CAAM and the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) would merge to create a standalone aviation regulator. The proposed merger was said "to optimise staff and financials, as well as making the civil aviation industry more competitive". Though the merger was supposed to have been completed by the second quarter of 2021, however, the anticipated merger did not materialized as CAAM and MAVCOM remains a separate entities.[16][17][18]

In October 2023, Transport Minister, Anthony Loke announced that a bill for proposed merger between CAAM and MAVCOM will be tabled on the Parliament in 2024.[19] On 13 June 2024, it was announced that the two bodies is expected to merge by 2025 with an official merger date yet to be announced.[20][21] Eleven days later, on 24 June, two new bills for the merger of CAAM and MAVCOM were tabled at the Parliament by the Deputy Transport Minister, Hasbi Habibollah[22] and approved by the Dewan Rakyat two days later.[23] On 11 September, both bills were granted royal assent and were gazetted on 25 September.[24][25] On 20 December, the tentative date for the merger of CAAM and MAVCOM has been finalized and will be announced later.[26][27]

On 23 June 2025, Loke announced that the merger of CAAM and MAVCOM is expected to completed by 1 August, with CAAM took over the MAVCOM's economic regulatory functions. The merger will make the CAAM a sole aviation regulator in the country oversaws both economic and technical aspects and transitioned as an independent statutory body with separated remuneration and exempted by the Government.[28][29][30] On 21 July, MAVCOM said that CAAM will assumed the technical regulatory functions that the commission had previously carried out and also assumed other functions, including licensing and airport development.[31][32]

On 1 August, the merger between CAAM and MAVCOM was officially completed. Following the move, Shahril Tarmizi is appointed as the new Chairman of CAAM.[33][34]

Divisions

  • CAAM consists of the following divisions:
    • Quality and Standards
    • Flight Operations
    • Aviation Security
    • Airworthiness
    • Air Navigation Services & Aerodrome
    • Air Navigation Services Operations
    • Air Navigation Services Technical
    • Air Navigation Services Safety
    • Air Navigation Services Training
    • Malaysia Aviation Academy
    • CAAM Regional Office
      • Peninsular
      • Sabah
      • Sarawak
    • Management Services
    • Finance Management
    • Legal Advisor
    • State Safety Program Unit
    • Integrity Unit
    • Internal Audit & Compliance Unit
    • Corporate Communication Unit
    • Transformation Unit

See also

References

  1. ^ "DCA is now known as CAAM". Malay Mail. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "History & Milestone". Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  3. ^ "New role for department". New Straits Times. 22 September 1992. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  4. ^ Khaidir Abd Majid (31 October 1992). "Corporatisation of DCA to take place tomorrow". Business Times. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  5. ^ Adrian David (15 November 1992). "Corporatisation of DCA seen as a positive step". New Sunday Times. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  6. ^ "DCA to be known as Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia". Astro Awani. 22 November 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  7. ^ "DCA to be known as Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia". Malay Mail. 22 November 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  8. ^ Mohd Anwar Patho Rohman; Hazwan Faisal Mohamad; Luqman Arif Abdul Karim (23 November 2016). "DCA dinaik taraf badan berkanun" (in Malay). Berita Harian. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Department of Civil Aviation now known as Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia". The Star Online. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  10. ^ Suhaila Shahrul Annuar (19 February 2018). "DCA dinaik taraf menjadi CAAM" (in Malay). Berita Harian. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  11. ^ Fairuz Mohd Shahar (19 February 2018). "CAAM to regulate safety, security aspects of civil aviation industry". New Straits Times. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Malaysia regains Category 1 status in US air safety ranking". Free Malaysia Today. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  13. ^ "Cat1 reinstatement by FAA to bolster Malaysia's position as aviation hub". NST Business. New Straits Times. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022. Malaysia's air safety rating in the United States (US) has been restored to Category 1 after all 33 issues raised by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were resolved, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
  14. ^ Meng Yew Choong (2 October 2022). "CAAM reinstated to Cat 1". The Star Online. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  15. ^ Kang Siew Li (1 October 2022). "Malaysia regains US FAA's Category 1 safety rating". The Edge Malaysia. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  16. ^ Rahimi Yunus (13 December 2019). "MoT justifies Mavcom-CAAM merger". The Malaysian Reserve. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  17. ^ Joseph Kaos Jr. (13 December 2019). "Loke: Mavcom and CAAM merger in best interest of aviation industry". The Star Online. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  18. ^ Kang Siew Li (28 July 2021). "Mavcom continues to discharge its duties amid uncertain future". The Edge Malaysia. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  19. ^ "Bill on merging Mavcom with CAAM to be tabled next year". Free Malaysia Today. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Penggabungan MAVCOM-CAAM dilaksana pada 2025". Berita RTM. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  21. ^ "CAAM to run independently from 2025, says Loke". Free Malaysia Today. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  22. ^ Martin Carvalho; Khoo Gek San; Junaid Ibrahim (24 June 2024). "Bills tabled to merge Mavcom and CAAM". The Star Online. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  23. ^ Choy Nyen Yiau (26 June 2024). "Dewan Rakyat passes bills paving way for Mavcom-CAAM merger". The Edge. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  24. ^ "Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (Amendment) Act 2024" (PDF). Federal Legislation (LOM). 25 September 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  25. ^ "Malaysian Aviation Commission (Dissolution) Act 2024" (PDF). Federal Legislation (LOM). 25 September 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  26. ^ "MOT akan umum tarikh penggabungan CAAM-MAVCOM" (in Malay). Berita Harian. 20 December 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  27. ^ Bilqis Bahari (20 December 2024). "Tentative date of Mavcom-CAAM merger set, to be announced by Transport Ministry". New Straits Times. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  28. ^ "CAAM to take over functions of Mavcom from Aug 1 to become sole aviation industry regulatory body". Sinar Daily. 23 June 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  29. ^ "MAVCOM dibubar berkuat kuasa 1 Ogos, CAAM beralih jadi BBDSB" (in Malay). Astro Awani. 23 June 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  30. ^ Minderjeet Kaur (23 June 2025). "Mavcom to be absorbed by CAAM on Aug 1". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  31. ^ "Mavcom to hand over regulatory functions to CAAM from Aug 1". The Star Online. 22 July 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  32. ^ "CAAM to take over Mavcom's aviation regulatory duties from Aug 1". Scoop. 21 July 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  33. ^ "CAAM takes over as sole aviation regulator, gets new chairman". New Straits Times. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  34. ^ "Sharil Tarmizi to lead Malaysia's sole aviation regulator as CAAM-Mavcom merger takes effect". Malay Mail. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2025.