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26 Jun, 2015

231 airlines, mostly in Africa, on European Commission’s updated safety-ban list

Brussels, 25 June 2015, European Commission – Press release – Today the European Commission has updated the EU Air Safety List, the list of airlines that are subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the European Union. All airlines from the Philippines, banned since 2010, have been released from the List and are therefore allowed to operate in the European airspace. No new bans have been imposed with this update.

Violeta Bulc, EU Commissioner for Transport said: “After 5 years of hard work we are finally able to clear the airlines certified in the Philippines from the European Air Safety List. The Philippines is an important country with a sizeable and rapidly growing aviation sector. Today’s result can serve as an example for other countries which have difficulty to match their safety oversight capabilities with the growth of their industry. I am also pleased to see that other countries made good progress too. The Commission is continuously monitoring developments in third countries to ensure that airlines flying into the EU are up to the highest safety standards.”

The updated EU Air Safety List includes all airlines certified in 20 states, for a total of 231 airlines: Afghanistan, Angola (with the exception of one airline which operates under restrictions and conditions), Benin, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon (with the exception of 2 airlines which operate under restrictions and conditions), Indonesia (with the exception of 4 airlines), Kazakhstan (with the exception of one airline which operates under restrictions and conditions), Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Libya, Mozambique, Nepal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Zambia. The list also includes one individual airline: Blue Wing Airlines (Suriname), bringing the overall total of airlines banned from EU skies to 232.

Additionally, the list includes 8 airlines which are subject to operational restrictions. These airlines can only fly to the Union with specific aircraft types: Air Astana (Kazakhstan), Afrijet and SN2AG (Gabon), Air Koryo (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), Air Service Comores (the Comoros), Iran Air (Iran), TAAG Angolan Airlines (Angola) and Air Madagascar (Madagascar).

The air carriers certified in Ghana that were on the Air Safety List have been removed as the Commission got the necessary guarantees from Ghana that these airlines do no longer exist and that their aircrafts have been removed from active service.

Background information

The Commission decision is based on the unanimous opinion of the EU Air Safety Committee, which met from 9 to 11 June 2015, and pursuant to REGULATION (EC) No 2111/2005. The decision also received a positive opinion from the European Parliament and from the Council of Ministers. The authentic version of the EU Air Safety List will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union in the coming days.

The EU Air Safety List is a list of airlines which are either considered not to be able to respect international aviation safety standards, or whose civil aviation authorities are deemed unable to provide the necessary safety oversight as foreseen by international aviation safety rules. The airlines mentioned on the EU Air Safety List are either not allowed to operate to the EU, or, in a limited number of cases can only do so under very strict conditions. The EU Air Safety List also serves as a tool to warn the travelling public when travelling in other parts of the world.

The EU Air Safety Committee consists of top aviation safety experts from the Commission, from each of the 28 Member States of the Union, as well as from Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Aviation supports 5.1 million jobs in Europe, directly and indirectly. It provides €1 billion of European GDP every day, generating trade and tourism.

With more than 800 million passengers using 450 airports, and with 150 scheduled airlines, the European Union is a key player in global aviation: a third of the world market.

Europe is also home to some of the world’s largest airlines and airports. It is a leader in aircraft and engine manufacturing, and in air traffic management research and technology.

Since 1992, the number of flights within the EU has more than doubled. Flights operated by more than two airlines have quadrupled. It’s no surprise that passengers are happy: over that time, their numbers have gone up by 300%.

Click here to download the list: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/safety/air-ban/index_en.htm