UPDATED: US downgrades Malaysia's safety rating

The US Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed that it has downgraded Malaysia's safety rating because it does not meet international standards. The FAA found that the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) did not meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards and therefore has received a Category 2 rating based on a reassessment of the country’s civil aviation authority. The downgrade will result in Malaysia Airlines slipping from a 6/7 star rating to 5/7 under the AirlineRatings system. READ: Boeing says MAX deliveries could resume in December

The FAA said its category 2 rating meant that CAAM was deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping, and/or inspection procedures.

"In 2003, Malaysia was assigned a Category 1 rating, meaning CAAM complied with ICAO standards for aviation safety oversight,'' the US regulator said in a statement.

"The FAA conducted an in-country reassessment of Malaysia under the IASA program in April 2019 and met with the CAAM in July 2019 to discuss the results.

"This process is an assessment of CAAM and not any individual airline operating inside or outside of Malaysia."

With a Category 2 rating, Malaysia’s carriers can continue existing services to the United States but they will not be allowed to establish new services.

The FAA assesses the civil aviation authorities of all countries with air carriers that have applied to fly to the United States, currently conduct operations to the United States, or participate in code-sharing arrangements with U.S. partner airlines.

It makes that information available to the public and the assessments determine whether foreign civil aviation authorities are meeting ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations.

A Category 1 rating means the country’s civil aviation authority complies with ICAO standards and allows it to establish service to the United States and carry the code of U.S. carriers.

The International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program is administered by the FAA Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety (AVS), Flight Standards Service (AFS), International Programs and Policy Division (AFS-50). The ICAO website shows Malaysia as last being audited in 2016 but it was below average in just one area: aerodromes.