Malaysia averted FAA downgrade in 2003 as DCA quick to rectify issues

Picture of entrance and logo of Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia building at Subang.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia was on the verge of a downgrade by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in mid-2003, but a quick rectification of problems prevented a full downgrade to Category 2 (Cat 2).

“Had the legitimate safety issues raised officially by the FAA in May 2003 not been resolved then, it would have led to a downgrade like now, ’’ said Datuk Kok Soo Chon, the former director-general of the Department of Civil Aviation or DCA, which has been corporatised and renamed as the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia or CAAM now.