WASHINGTON -- Boeing said Thursday a new U.S. directive that warns of a "cracking" problem on Boeing 777 airplanes did not apply to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Just days before the Malaysia flight disappeared, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published an "airworthiness directive (AD)," ordering "repetitive inspections" for "cracking and corrosion" problems on certain Boeing 777 planes.

The FAA said the directive was prompted by a report of cracking in the fuselage skin underneath the satellite communication ( SATCOM) antenna adapter.

"We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracking and corrosion in the fuselage skin, which could lead to rapid decompression and loss of structural integrity of the airplane," the U.S. aviation regulator said.

A Boeing spokesman, however, told Xinhua, that the antenna covered by the AD was not installed on MH370, a Boeing 777-200ER, "so that airplane is not subject to the AD or the related Service Bulletin."

Meanwhile, Laura Brown, deputy assistant administrator for public affairs of the FAA, also denied the possibility that the accident may be linked to the "cracking and corrosion" problem.

"This (AD) applies only to U.S. registered aircraft," Brown told Xinhua. "The civil aviation authorities in other countries usually issue identical or similar directives that apply to aircraft registered in their countries."

The directive, first drawn up on Sept. 26, 2013, was approved on Feb. 18 and published in the U.S. Federal Register on March 5. It's due to take effect on April 9.

In the notice, the FAA said one operator had reported a 16-inch (40.6-centimeter) crack under the 3-bay SATCOM antenna adapter plate in the crown skin of the fuselage on an airplane that was 14 years old with approximately 14,000 total flight cycles.

It said following the crack finding, the same operator inspected 42 other airplanes that are between 6 and 16 years old and "found some local corrosion, but no other cracking."

Early Thursday, the Wall Street Journal quoted sources as saying that the missing plane may have kept flying for four hours after its last contact. The Malaysian authorities described the report as being "inaccurate."

Contacted by Xinhua, Boeing said it has no response to the report. "Because the Malaysian authorities are leading the investigation, this inquiry should be directed to them." the spokesman said.