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New Straits Times
14-07-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Mavcom to review Malaysia Airlines-SIA joint business despite Singapore's green light
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) says it will carry out its own independent review of the proposed joint business between Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines, despite Singapore's conditional approval. The aviation regulator said the assessment of the partnership is still ongoing despite the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) granting the conditional nod for the proposed cooperation. "Notwithstanding CCCS' decision, Mavcom will independently evaluate the application in accordance with its own guidelines and procedures, as stipulated under the Malaysian Aviation Commission Act 2015 [Act 771]," a Mavcom spokesperson told Business Times. Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of Malaysia Airlines, confirmed that it is in discussions with Singapore Airlines on a potential joint business arrangement. The group also said that it is committed to regulatory compliance throughout the evaluation process. "The proposal has received conditional approval from the CCCS and remains subject to clearance from Malaysian regulators. Malaysia Airlines continues to ensure full compliance with all regulatory requirements as the process progresses," MAG spokesperson told Business Times. MAG said the potential joint business is designed to enhance connectivity between Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines and deliver greater value to passengers travelling between the two neighbouring countries. Neither Mavcom nor MAG provided any expected timeline on the approval process. Mavcom will be merged into the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) by Aug 1 and the latter will take over the former's economic regulatory functions, becoming the sole aviation regulator in Malaysia. Currently, Malaysia has two aviation regulators – CAAM and Mavcom. Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines had planned to cooperate on various areas of their businesses, including scheduling, pricing, sales and marketing and expansion of code-sharing of flights. The CCCS said in a statement that it had approved the proposed cooperation on July 7, subject to the accepted commitments. The Singapore competition regulator said it had first received an application from Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines on March 24, 2023 to determine whether the carriers' proposed cooperation would constitute an anti-competitive agreement under Singapore's Competition Act 2004. A follow-up submission was made by the airlines on Nov 3, 2023 clarifying that the scope of the proposed cooperation would be limited to their full-service carriers, namely Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines, and not including the airlines' budget carrier subsidiaries Firefly Sdn Bhd and Scoot Tigerair Private Limited. CCCS chief executive officer Alvin Koh said the joint business between the two airlines could offer better connectivity and options for consumers as well as allowing the flexibility to react to market developments and ensure that more flights will be added along the Singapore – Kuala Lumpur route. He added that the flights would offer consumers more travel options and better prices for passengers long-term. "CCCS will continue to monitor developments in this sector to ensure that the competition can yield good outcomes for consumers," Koh said in a statement.
New Straits Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Singapore competition watchdog grants conditional nod to Malaysia Airlines-Sia tie-up
SINGAPORE: The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) on Monday granted conditional approval for the proposed commercial cooperation between Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIA) and Malaysia Airlines Bhd. The proposed cooperation will see the two airlines work together on scheduling, pricing, sales and marketing, and other commercial areas, including expanded codesharing and special prorate arrangements. In a statement, CCCS said the airlines had submitted a set of proposed commitments to address the commission's concerns over price and capacity coordination that could restrict competition on the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur (and vice versa) route. The proposed commitments include maintaining weekly seat capacity at current levels, increasing capacity upon meeting certain performance benchmarks, reporting annual operational data for their low-cost carriers (LCCs) on the route, and appointing an independent auditor to monitor compliance. "Taking market developments into account, including the impending permanent cessation by Jetstar Asia Airways Pte Ltd, CCCS accepted the proposed commitments as being sufficient to address its competition concerns arising from the proposed cooperation," the commission stated. CCCS noted that no concerns were raised by industry stakeholders during the consultation period from February 11 to March 4, 2025. CCCS chief executive Alvin Koh said such joint ventures could improve connectivity and offer more choices for travellers. "The proposed commitments offered by Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines allow for flexibility to react to market developments and ensure that more flights will be added along the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route as travel demand increases, which would translate to more travel options and better prices for passengers in the long run," he said. Koh added that CCCS would continue to monitor developments in the sector to ensure competition delivers positive outcomes for consumers. SIA and Malaysia Airlines submitted a joint application to CCCS on March 24, 2023, on whether the proposed cooperation would be an anti-competitive agreement under the Competition Act 2004. A further submission was made on November 3, 2023, stating that the cooperation would be limited to their full-service carriers and would not extend to their affiliated LCCs, namely Scoot and Firefly. CCCS is a statutory board of the Ministry of Trade and Industry that administers and enforces the Competition Act 2004 and the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act 2003, to guard against anti-competitive activities and unfair trade practices.
Business Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Joint venture between Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines granted regulatory approval
[SINGAPORE] The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) has granted conditional approval for commercial cooperation between Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Malaysia Airlines, the regulator said on Monday (Jul 7). The joint venture (JV) will see the two airlines working together on scheduling, pricing, sales and marketing, including expanded codesharing of flights, among other things, on routes between Singapore and Malaysia. Chief executive of CCCS Alvin Koh said that while competition in Singapore's aviation industry has intensified with recent entries and exits, the JV can 'lead to airlines coming together to offer better connectivity and options for consumers'. The commitments undertaken by the airlines 'allow for flexibility to react to market developments and ensure that more flights will be added along the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route as travel demand increases, which would translate to more travel options and better prices for passengers in the long run', added Koh. A SIA spokesperson said that the company welcomes CCCS' approval, although the cooperation is still subject to regulatory approval from the Malaysian Aviation Commission. On Mar 24, 2023, the two airlines applied jointly to CCCS on whether their proposed cooperation would be anti-competitive, with a further submission in November 2023 that this cooperation would only include SIA and Malaysia Airlines, and not their affiliated low-cost carriers (LCCs) Scoot and Firefly, respectively. CCCS found that price and capacity coordination between the two would restrict competition on the air route between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. To address the regulator's concerns, the airlines provided various commitments regarding the route, including: preserving the weekly seat capacity levels that existed before the cooperation; before increasing capacity levels on the route, the airlines would need to meet certain performance targets and submit a business plan for approval by CCCS and the Malaysian Aviation Commission; reporting the capacity levels and schedules of both airlines' LCCs on the route; and appointing an independent auditor to ensure compliance with the commitments. CCCS consulted industry stakeholders from Feb 11 to Mar 4 on the commitments, with no concerns raised.
Singapore Law Watch
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Singapore Law Watch
CCCS takes action against car groomer Lambency Detailing for posting fake AI reviews
CCCS takes action against car groomer Lambency Detailing for posting fake AI reviews Source: Business Times Article Date: 04 Jul 2025 Author: Derryn Wong The car groomer has been ordered to stop posting them, and will remove the content on within eight working days. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) has taken regulatory action against car grooming service Lambency Detailing (Lambency) for posting false consumer reviews generated by artificial intelligence (AI) on automotive marketplace CCCS said on Thursday (Jul 3) that Quantum Globe, the company that owns and operates Lambency, admitted to posting fake five-star reviews written by ChatGPT over the last two years. 'This is the second fake review case that CCCS has uncovered, and the first case involving both a third-party platform and the use of AI to create these fake reviews,' said the regulator's chief executive Alvin Koh. In 2024, Loft Home Furnishing, a furniture company, received a warning for publishing fake five-star product reviews on its website. Businesses posting fake customer reviews is an unfair trade practice, the regulator said, as consumers might be misled into thinking that the product is more well-received than it actually is, and thus make misinformed purchase decisions. Quantum Globe will stop posting fake reviews; remove fake reviews on within eight working days; notify customers whose details were used in the false postings between October 2024 and January 2025; and publish notices for six months informing consumers that it had posted fake reviews, among other actions. Matthew Lim, the firm's director, has also undertaken to CCCS that he will not engage in any unfair trade practice, or facilitate any business under his control to do so. The regulator began an investigation in January after a customer complained that reviews were posted under her name on It revealed that seven other Lambency customers were affected, with fake reviews – using their names, vehicle registration numbers and photographs – being posted without consent. In a statement to the media, Lambency said that it 'accepts full responsibility for a number of false reviews about our services that were posted on Sgcarmart'. 'These reviews were written by employees without proper disclosure, and this should not have happened,' it added. 'We apologise unreservedly to our customers, Sgcarmart, and the public. Upholding trust and transparency is core to our business, and we acknowledge that this incident compromised those values. We have taken immediate steps to remove the reviews and have put in place stricter guidelines to ensure all future communications meet the standards expected of us.' Source: The Business Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Print
New Paper
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- New Paper
Car services company admits to posting fake reviews on sgCarMart
The owner of an automobile services company has admitted to posting AI-generated five-star reviews on car listing website sgCarMart, said Singapore's consumer watchdog on July 3. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) said it received a complaint from a customer of Lambency Detailing, a company which provides car painting and detailing services, after she found unauthorised reviews posted under her name. Following an investigation, CCCS found that seven other customers were also victims to these fake reviews, and their vehicles registration numbers and photographs had been posted without their consent. Holding company Quantum Globe, which owns and operates Lambency Detailing, admitted to submitting false reviews when confronted with the evidence, said CCCS in a statement. The reviews were submitted through a QR code provided by sgCarMart, which allowed users to submit feedback without an account on the car listing website, Facebook or Google. Quantum Globe said that the reviews, customised based on services received by each customer, were generated by ChatGPT. Posting fake customer reviews is an unfair trade practice, said CCCS. "Consumers might be misled into thinking that the product is more well-received than it actually is, and thus make misinformed purchase decisions." Quantum Global director Matthew Lim has promised that he will not engage in further unfair trade practices, said CCCS. The company has agreed to, for six months, set up a channel which allows customers to report any fake reviews that have been posted on sgCarMart. It will also publish notices on sgCarMart and other online platforms that it has posted fake reviews. The company will also notify customers whose details were used in these reviews, and remove them within eight days. SGCM, which owns and operates sgCarMart, said that it is exploring additional verification measures, such as SMS or e-mail confirmation, to improve the integrity and authenticity of reviews. CCCS chief executive Alvin Koh said that this is the second fake review case that the watchdog has uncovered, and the first which involves a third-party platform and AI. "When businesses post fake reviews to boost their ratings and popularity, they poison the well of consumer trust," he said. "Such deceptive practices, also known as "dark patterns", not only mislead consumers but also disadvantage honest competing businesses." Those who would like to report cases of unfair trade practices may contact the Consumers Association of Singapore at 6277 5100 during office hours or submit a complaint online.
