The commission said it had completed public consultations for feedback on the implementation of carbon fees for air travel.

“The public consultation is to ensure that while airlines impose carbon fees or any other charges, adequate consumer protection measures are in place,” a Mavcom spokesman told Bernama.

Recently, transport minister Loke Siew Fook said a carbon levy could be imposed by airlines once Mavcom makes the necessary amendments to the consumer code.

However, Putrajaya is making it optional for both local and international carriers flying in and out of Kuala Lumpur to charge the levy.

The fee is an international obligation applicable to all airlines, not only in Malaysia, to contribute towards the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation.

Denmark, Sweden, South Africa, and the Netherlands are among countries that have imposed carbon levies on passengers.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), global aviation accounts for about 2% of man-made carbon emissions. At the 77th IATA annual meeting in 2021, the industry committed to achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.

It said sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) could help achieve 65% of the emission reduction needed to reach net-zero in 2050, requiring a massive increase in production to meet demand.

It also said the largest acceleration is expected in the 2030s as policy support becomes global, SAF becomes competitive with fossil kerosene, and credible offsets become scarcer.