AirAsia hails reinstatement of Malaysia’s air-safety ranking to Category 1

AirAsia applauds the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for elevating Malaysia’s aviation safety rating to Category 1 as it was announced by the Ministry of Transport.

As they will issue the necessary regulatory clearances in accordance with FAA standards, the reinstatement is expected to increase chances for its future medium to long-haul network ambitions, particularly to the US and other Asian nations such Japan and Korea. The only airline in the group now flying directly to Honolulu, Hawaii in the US, through Osaka, Japan, is AirAsia X.

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Regaining the category is also positive for Asia Digital Engineering (ADE), the Group’s rapidly expanding MRO division, as it will increase its service for regional and perhaps other international airlines.

“After an industry reset following the epidemic, this announcement could not have come at a better time as travel demand builds up,” said Bo Lingam, group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group Limited. Our future network expansion plans will be made possible by our Category 1 safety rating, which will also stabilize the nation’s aviation sector as a whole.

“The Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia deserve enormous praise for their ongoing efforts to raise the FAA’s assessment of Malaysia’s aviation status and for once again meeting ICAO safety criteria, respectively.