AZHARUDDIN Abd Rahman has resigned as chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) to take responsibility over findings in the MH370 safety investigation report, which pointed out lapses in protocol.

Azharuddin announced the resignation in a statement, adding that it would be effective 14 days from today.

“While the report does not suggest that the accident is caused by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) then, nevertheless, there are some very apparent findings with regard to the operations of the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre (KLATSC) where it was stated that the air traffic controller did not comply with certain standard operating procedures. 

“Therefore, it is with regret and after much thought and contemplation that I have decided to resign as the chairman of CAAM,” he said.

Azharuddin was the early face of the crisis involving the Malaysia Airlines flight which disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

He was the chief spokesman at press conferences in the days after the plane went missing, before then defence minister and acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein took over the briefings.

Yesterday, the Malaysian ICAO Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team on MH370 released its complete report on safety aspects of the flight, in which it concluded that the actual reasons for the plane’s disappearance could not be known because of a lack of evidence and the wreckage.

The report also highlighted lapses in protocol by air traffic controllers in Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh, which caused precious loss of time in activating search and rescue operations.

These lapses occurred as the plane entered Vietnamese airspace where it made a turn-back.

Among the report’s findings were:

* KL air traffic control had transferred watch on the plane to Ho Chi Minh three minutes early but thereafter, Vietnamese controllers did not notify KL when two-way communication were not established with MH370;

* KL should then have initiated contact with Ho Chi Minh but did not, relying instead on wrong information provided by MAS flight operations;

* The air traffic controllers of both centres did not initiate the various emergency phases as required then, thereby delaying the activation of the alerting and search and rescue operations;

* There was no record to suggest that KL air traffic controllers had taken any action to alert the Royal Military Air Force (RMAF) Joint Air Traffic Control Centre after it became known that control tower had lost contact with MH370; and,

* There was no evidence to suggest that the air traffic controllers at KL ACC (area control centre) had kept continuous watch on the radar display.

As such, “KL ACC controllers did not comply fully with established ATC procedures”, the report said.

Azharuddin added that he was sad to leave the post under the shadow of MH370.

“Over the past four years, I have tried my level best to assist in the search for MH370 and I am ever resolute in finding answers we all seek towards this unfortunate tragedy, as we owe it to the families and loved ones. 

“I am saddened to have to leave under these circumstances. 

“Serving the industry for more than 40 years has been the greatest honour of my life and I apologise for not being able to fulfil the remainder of my tenure. Aviation has been a core part of my life since childhood and it will remain so for the rest of my life.” – July 31, 2018.