KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has contacted all affected airline operators in Malaysia to ensure safety measures are implemented due to the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements on inspections for all Boeing 737 airliners to address possible failures of cabin altitude pressure switches.
CAAM chief executive officer Captain Chester Voo Chee Soon said Malaysian operators affected by Continued Airworthiness Notification to International Community (CANIC) are fully aware, and have planned to perform the testing within the timeline prescribed in Boeing’s Multiple Operator Message (MOM).
“Operators like Malaysia Airlines have issued a Technical Service Instruction (TSI) for 47 of their B737-800 series aircraft, and Malindo Airways issued an Engineering Order (EO) for six of their B737-800 series and six of their B737-900ER series aircraft,” he told when contacted by Bernama, today.
CAAM confirmed that the FAA had issued a CANIC to CAAM on July 15, and an FAA CANIC has been issued following Boeing’s MOM sent on June 24 to all affected Boeing 737 operators worldwide including Malaysian operators.
He noted that MOM requires the functional check of the pressure switches for the cabin altitude warning system to be performed at an earlier interval of 2,000 flight hours instead of the originally scheduled check at 6,000 flight hours for the 737 Next Generation (NG) and 4,000 flight hours for the 737 Classic (CL).
Voo said the FAA is also considering issuing an Airworthiness Directive (AD) to mandate functional testing of the pressure switches for the cabin altitude warning system.
CAAM assures the public that safety compliance is of utmost importance and all Boeing 737s operating in Malaysia are inspected accordingly.
Voo pledged that CAAM will ensure continued compliance to all international safety standards in the country’s civil aviation industry to ensure the safety of all operators and the public.
The media previously reported that the FAA had issued an AD requiring inspections for all Boeing 737 airliners to address possible failures of cabin altitude pressure switches.
The AD requires operators to conduct repetitive tests of the cabin altitude pressure switches and replace faulty ones. — Bernama
