The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has downgraded the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia's safety assessment rating, leaving Malaysian carriers unable to establish any new service to the U.S.
The FAA now rates CAAM as Category 2 under the International Aviation Safety Assessment, meaning it "is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping and/or inspection procedures" as related to aviation safety. The downgrade came after an assessment conducted by the FAA in April. The CAAM had been operating under a Category 1 rating since 2003.
With the downgrade, Malaysian carriers can continue any current service to the U.S. but are not allowed to establish new service until CAAM regains a Category 1 rating. The only Malaysian carrier that currently has U.S. service is long-haul low-cost carrier AirAsia X, which flies between Kuala Lumpur and Honolulu via Osaka. Malaysia Airlines ended its service to the United States in 2014.
The downgrade also prevents codeshares between U.S. and Malaysian carriers. A spokesperson from fellow Oneworld member American Airlines said the carrier ended codeshares on Malaysia Airlines flights on Monday and is "working with affected customers to rebook their itineraries."
AirAsia X, meanwhile, had previously said it planned to expand service into California in 2021, and the authority hopes to have a Category 1 rating by then. CAAM chair Ahmad Ridzwan Mohd Salleh in a statement said that the authority has requested a reassessment within the next 12 months and that "plans are already well underway to address the findings of the audit."
He added that the authority "takes the FAA's assessment constructively and has moved to make serious changes in its structure and operations." The authority's CEO resigned on Nov. 1, and an executive committee of board members currently is overseeing operations, he said.