Malaysia, Regional Partners Working To Establish Common ACMI Standards For Seamless Connectivity

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is working with regional partners to develop common standards for aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) approval, air operator certificate (AOC) validation and information sharing, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). 

CAAM director of flight operations Captain Mohd Nazri said the aim is to have a clear, coherent and interoperable ACMI environment across nations that supports seamless cross-border connectivity while ensuring safety remains uncompromised. 

“ACMI operations increasingly cross national boundaries, especially within ASEAN. That is why ACMI is actively driving policy harmonisation under the ASEAN Single Aviation Market (ASAM),” he said at the Expanding Asia’s Aviation Market with ACMI Leadership Forum hosted by Avia Solutions Group and Ascend Airways.

He said CAAM believes that the ACMI mode has an important role to play in shaping Malaysia’s aviation future.  “ACMI is not just a short-term fix; it is a strategic tool. Airlines around the world use it to close capacity gaps, expand networks quickly and reduce both operational and financial risks,” he noted. 

As for airlines, Nazri said it provides agility and allows for rapid expansion without heavy capital investment, as well as offering access to aircraft and crews that are not readily available in their own units. 

“For Malaysia, ACMI creates broader economic value. It generates high-skill jobs for pilots, engineers and ground staff. It attracts foreign investment and reinforces our position as an original aviation hub,” he added. 

Nazri noted that as airlines increasingly turn to ACMI arrangements that span across jurisdictions, coordinated regional policies were needed to avoid regulatory fragmentation.

“Nevertheless, with ACMI, opportunity comes with responsibility. Our role as regulators is to ensure ACMI growth is safe, compliant and sustainable.  CAAM has developed a comprehensive framework aligned with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards and recommended practices,” he said, adding that the framework strikes a balance between flexibility for operators and strict oversight to safeguard safety and accountability.

He said CAAM is also working on a regulation, which will also include a leasing directive that involves the ACMI requirements.  “Other than that, we are looking at pre-alignment of the validity on the expiry date for airlines, in which there will be one expiry date with regard to the air service permit (ASP) and also the air operator’s certificate (AOC) in order to reduce the waiting time,” he added. 

ACMI is a specific type of aircraft leasing arrangement, where the lessor provides an aircraft, the flight and cabin crew, all maintenance and the necessary insurance to the lessee airline. 

-- BERNAMA