In 1985, the Inspectorate Unit was established, under the Air Traffic Services (ATS) Division, Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) with the objective to ensure that air traffic controllers (ATCOs) possess the knowledge, experience, competence, skill, physical and mental fitness in accordance with the provisions of ICAO Annex 1 to the Chicago Convention – Personnel Licensing. However, only the function of air traffic control (ATC) examinations was conducted by the Unit due to various constraints at that time. Subsequently, the licensing of ATCOs commenced on the 01.11.1990; this requirement (Malaysia Civil Aviation Regulations 1996, regulation 92) is applicable to all ATCOs in DCA, including the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), in particular for ATCOs who control civil traffic.

In view of the Unit’s increased activities related to additional scope of job functions and responsibilities in ATS, the Unit was upgraded to a Division in 2002. The newly established ATS Inspectorate Division comprised of suitably qualified ATCOs who were selected based on their specific work experience, knowledge and attributes.

Following the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) in 2005, other than the safety oversight of ATS, the functions and responsibilities of the ATS Inspectorate Division were expanded to include safety oversight in the other areas of air navigation services (ANS), namely Procedures for ANS-Aircraft Operations (PANS-OPS), Aeronautical Information Services (AIS), Aeronautical Charts (CHART), Communication Navigation and Surveillance (CNS), Aeronautical Meteorology (MET) and Search and Rescue (SAR). The renamed Air Traffic Inspectorate Division was vested with regulatory responsibility to ensure that the ANS providers implement ANS-related provisions in accordance with the national legislations and all ANS-related ICAO Annexes, namely Annex 1 Personnel Licensing (ATC licensing and ATC-ATO portions only), Annex 2 Rules of the Air, Annex 3 Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation, Annex 4 Aeronautical Charts, Annex 10 Aeronautical Telecommunications, Annex 11 Air Traffic Services, Annex 12 Search & Rescue, Annex 15 AIS, and including Annex 5 Units of Measurement to be used in Air and Ground Operations.

In April 2015, the regulatory functions of the Inspectorate were further re-aligned to focus on the safety oversight of the ANS providers for ATS, PANS-OPS, AIS, CHART, MET and SAR excluding CNS (which is now vested with the Airport Standards Division). Consequently, the applicable ICAO Annexes that relate to the Inspectorate’s safety oversight functions are Annex 1 Personnel Licensing (ATC licensing portion only), Annex 2 Rules of the Air, Annex 3 Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation, Annex 4 Aeronautical Charts (Instrument Chart portion only),
Annex 11 Air Traffic Services, Annex 12 Search & Rescue, Annex 15 AIS and Annex 19 Safety Management (ATS portion only).

(Note : all references below to ANS shall exclude CNS).

On 19 February 2018, DCA has been transformed as the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), a Federal Government Statutory Body.

New Posts Approval Letter No. K 7/2019 was approved on the 01 March 2019, the Air Traffic Inspectorate Division has been renamed as Air Navigation Services Standards Division (AND).