EC Updates EU Air Safety List, Adds Four Carriers

The European Commission announced last week that it had removed all airlines from Benin and Mozambique from its EU Air Safety List after updating it earlier this month.

Meanwhile, four carriers from Nigeria, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe, were added to the revised safety list which took effect May 18.

“I am glad that we are able to take all carriers from Benin and Mozambique out of the air safety list. Their reforms have paid off. This is also a signal to the 16 countries that remain on the list. It shows that work and cooperation pays off. The Commission and the European Aviation Safety Agency are ready to assist them and raise the safety standards worldwide,” said Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc.

More specifically, Nigeria’s Med-View, Mustique Airways of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ukraine-based Aviation Company Urga and Air Zimbabwe were added to the list due to “unaddressed safety deficiencies” that were detected by the European Aviation Safety Agency during the assessment.

According to the revised list, a total of 181 airlines are banned from EU skies due to a lack of safety oversight by aviation authorities or to safety concerns with regard to the airlines themselves.

Meanwhile, six airlines are only allowed to enter EU airspace with specific aircraft types: Gabon’s Afrijet and Nouvelle Air Affaires SN2AG, Air Koryo of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Air Service Comores, Iran Air and TAAG Angola Airlines.

The updated EU Air Safety List, a list of non-European carriers that do not meet international safety standards, seeks to ensure the highest level of air safety for European citizens. For a full list of banned airlines see here.

Travel agents and tour operators must alert all customers of the upgraded EU Air Safety List. In the case of booked tickets with newly included carriers, passengers are entitled to re-routing or a refund.