US FAA downgrades Malaysia's air safety rating: Sources

The US FAA has downgraded Malaysia's air safety rating, restricting the country's airlines from adding flights to the US, sources familiar with the matter and a US govt official said Monday. At present, the only Malaysian airline route to the US is AirAsia X services from Kuala Lumpur to Honolulu via Osaka. The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia and the FAA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Malaysia's transport ministry did not have an immediate comment. Malaysia has been downgraded to Category 2, said the sources, who did not want to be identified. A US govt official said the FAA would make an official announcement Tuesday. Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad said he was not aware of the details of the downgrade. <br/>