TWO years ago, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) thrust Malaysia into the global spotlight, but for the wrong reasons after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded the technical regulator for failing to meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards.
The downgrade to Category 2 marked a first for Malaysia’s aviation safety regulator since it was assigned a Category 1 rating in 2003.
It also served as a wake-up call for the government as CAAM is an agency under the Ministry of Transport (MoT). Malaysia joined countries such as Thailand, Bangladesh, Curaçao, Costa Rica and Ghana that were placed under Category 2 a rating that indicates deficiency in one or more areas, including technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping and/or inspection procedures.