AirAsia surprised with MyCC's appeal to reinstate fines on carriers

AirAsia Bhd expressed surprise over the Competition Commission of Malaysia's (MyCC) decision to appeal to the High Court in Kuala Lumpur to reinstate fines against AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAS).

The low-cost carrier said that this new appeal against the tribunal's decision is not a productive means of spending public resources and funds.

"We believe that the decision made by the tribunal on Feb 4, 2016 has indeed set the right direction for the development of competition law jurisprudence in Malaysia," AirAsia said in a statement.

The five-member Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) panel had previously unanimously agreed to set aside the fine against AirAsia and MAS and came to the conclusion that there was no anti-competitive conduct in the government-initiated collaboration in 2011.

Yesterday, the High Court granted the MyCC's application to challenge CAT's decision to set aside the RM10 million fine imposed on MAS and AirAsia for breaching the Competition Act 2010.

Judge Datuk Nik Hasmat Nik Mohamad set Aug 15 for case management after making the decision in chambers in the presence of lawyers Leonard Yeoh representing Air Asia and Sharon Chong Tze Ying representing MyCC.