Malaysia Airlines Flights to US Could be Impacted by Air Safety Rating

Officials from Malaysia Airlines revealed Tuesday the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decision to downgrade the country’s air safety rating could disrupt flights to and from the United States.

According to Retuers.com, the FAA announced Monday the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) does not meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards.

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As a result, the country received a Category 2 rating, which means the CAAM is “deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping, and/or inspection procedures.”

Malaysia Airlines said the codeshare agreements with partners on routes to and from the U.S. could be disrupted, depending on the respective airline’s own assessment, including oneworld alliance partner American Airlines.

The Category 2 rating also means carriers in Malaysia are restricted to current levels of service to the U.S. and will face additional inspections when the planes land at American airports. CAAM officials said it is working to restore a Category 1 rating as soon as possible.

In total, FAA officials said the Malaysian government needed to address 33 weaknesses, including issues related to the “technical certification of officers, regulatory gaps and CAAM’s structural issues.”

Costa Rica, Curacao and Ghana are the only other markets worldwide designated as Category 2.