Malaysia regulator fears airline expansion curbs after FAA downgrade

Malaysian airlines could be barred from introducing new routes in China, South Korea and Japan after the US FAA downgraded the country’s air safety rating late last year, Malaysia’s aviation regulator said Tuesday. In its first comments since the FAA downgrade, the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) said it was concerned its carriers would suffer the same fate as Thailand when it was downgraded by the FAA in 2015. China, South Korea and Japan all stopped Thailand-based airlines from flying charters and new routes because of safety concerns raised by the ICAO, which was followed by the FAA downgrade. MAVCOM Chief Operating Officer Azmir Zain said Malaysian carriers could lose as much as 4b ringgit ($966m), or 24% of their revenue a year, if China, Japan and South Korea took the same restrictive steps against them.<br/>