The European Commission has adopted the 19th update of the European safety list of air carriers subject to operating bans and other operational restrictions within the EU, better known as “the EU Air Safety List”.
The updated list includes all carriers certified in 21 countries, accounting for 279 known air carriers, whose operations are fully banned in the European Union. The new list replaces the previous one established in November 2011.
As usual, aircraft registered in some African countries are the most affected in the EU list. They include all aircraft registered in Angola, Benin Republic, Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon (with the exception of three carriers which operate under restrictions and conditions). Others include Liberia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, Swaziland and Zambia.
The commission said serious concerns were identified regarding the safety oversight of air carriers licenced in Libya. As a result, the Libyan civil aviation authority has adopted restrictions applicable to all air carriers licenced in Libya, which exclude them from flying into the EU with immediate effect and until at least 22 November 2012.
Other countries included in the EU list are Indonesia (with the exception of six carriers), Kazakhstan (with the exception of one carrier which operates under restrictions and conditions), Kyrgyzstan, Philippines among others.
The Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for transport, Siim Kallas, said: “Where we have evidence inside or outside the European Union that air carriers are not performing safe operations, we must act to guarantee to exclude any risks to safety.”
Finally, the Commission recognises the efforts of the safety oversight authorities of Albania, Aruba, Indonesia, Libya, Pakistan and Russia to reform the civil aviation system and notably to improve safety to guarantee that international safety standards are effectively and consistently applied.