KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 15): American Airlines said it would no longer offer codeshares on Malaysia Airlines flights from Tuesday (Nov 12) after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Malaysia's civil aviation safety rating to "Category 2". The downgrade was effective Monday (Nov 11).

Aviation news website FlyerTalk reported on Tuesday it had reached out to American Airlines for comment and the airline's senior corporate communications manager Andrea Koos had this to say: "In compliance with the FAA's downgrade of the aviation oversight rating of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), we will no longer offer codeshares on Malaysia Airlines flights effective today."

"We are working with affected customers to rebook their itineraries," Koos was quoted as saying.

FlyerTalk reported that in 2003, the CAAM was given a "Category 1" grade by the FAA, the highest a nation can receive. It was reported that the rating is based on how closely a foreign aviation authority follows safety standards set by the United Nations' aviation oversight body, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The news website reported that according to the FAA, the guidelines for maintaining a Category 1 classification are clear.

"In order to maintain a Category 1 rating, a country must adhere to the safety standards of ICAO, the United Nations' technical agency for aviation that establishes international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance," FlyerTalk quoted the agency as saying.

FlyerTalk reported that the FAA determined that CAAM was "deficient in one or more areas" of aviation safety standards.

While they did say where CAAM fell short, it may have included "technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping, and/or inspection procedures", it reported

The assessment was completed in April 2019, with discussions about the results taking place three months later, FlyerTalk reported

At the time of writing this theedgemarkets.com report today, Malaysia Airlines has not issued a statement in response to news reports on the termination of its codeshare deal with American Airlines.