Malaysia Air celebrates return to US safety certification

WASHINGTON D.C.: Three years after it restricted Malaysian Airlines from adding new flights to its U.S. route, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is set to upgrade Malaysia's air safety rating.

In November 2019, the FAA lowered Malaysia rating from Category 1 to Category 2, restricting Malaysian airlines to the current levels of existing U.S. service and subject to additional inspections at American airports.

A Category 1 rating means the airlines of a country meets international air safety standards.

Only 90 percent of countries have a Category 1 rating, the FAA said.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that Malaysian Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said the upgrade will boost local tourism.

"With the return to Category 1, our airlines can now mount new flights to the U.S. and have code sharing with American carriers. This is good news after the COVID-19 pandemic," Wee said, as reported by the Associated Press.

In May 2021, the FAA downgraded Mexico's aviation safety rating to Category 2, which barred Mexican carriers from adding new U.S. flights and limited their ability to carry out marketing agreements.