European regulators maintain strict oversight to ensure carriers operating within EU airspace meet international safety standards, including those of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
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Those who fail to do so will find themselves banned from operating in European skies. As of 9 June, that list now contains 154 airlines. The latest update from the EU Air Safety List (ASL), the 48th of its kind, saw Air Express Algeria added.
The decision was based on “serious safety concerns,” which found “shortcomings in the airlines’ compliance with international safety standards,” the European Commission said in a press release.
Air Express is now part of 126 airlines across 16 different countries on the ASL due to inadequate safety oversight by the respective national aviation authorities.
In Afghanistan, Armenia, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Liberia, Libya, Nepal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Suriname and Tanzania, all carriers certified by local authorities are banned from operating in Europe.
All air carriers in Angola are also banned from the continent’s skies, with the exception of the TAAG Angola Airlines and Heli Malongo.
Further, 22 Russia-certified carriers, as well as Zimbabwe’s Air Zimbabwe, Venezuela's Avior Airlines, Iran's Iran Aseman Airlines, Iraq's Fly Baghdad and Iraq Airways are also banned after serious "safety deficiencies" were found.
While in the case of Iran's Iran Air and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, operational restrictions mean they will only be permitted to fly in Europe if using specific aircraft.
In contrast, all Kyrgyzstan-certified carriers have now been removed from the banned list. According to the Commission, this is in recognition of Kyrgyz “progress in strengthening its aviation safety oversight over the past 20 years”.
The ASL is a compiled list of carriers that are either subject to operational bans or restrictions within the EU, as well as from or over EU territory. However, if a country has a short-to-medium term arrangement with an airline that is not on ASL to lease their aircraft, they may be allowed to enter EU skies, so long as safety standards are met.
The Commission enlists the expertise of the bloc's Air Safety Committee, which is made up of aviation safety experts from all Member States and supported by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, to update the list. The list is now in its 20th year.
A carrier will be banned or face restrictions if it does not meet international safety standards. Further, all airlines in a country risk being put on ASL if the local aviation safety authority is proven not to adhere to international safety oversight obligations.
According to the Commission, it can also serve as a deterrent: “It is a strong preventive tool, because when under scrutiny, countries tend to improve their safety oversight to avoid seeing their air carriers on the list”.
There is no fixed date for when the ASL is updated – it can be updated when the Commission deems necessary, or following a request from an EU member state. However, the Air Safety Committee meets around two or three times a year to review updates.
Cyprus, Malta and Luxembourg rank among the countries in Europe with the highest awareness of ASL, which has proven influential on travellers' decision-making.
An Eurobarometer survey by the Commission found that 81% of respondents would take action if an airline appeared on the so-called blacklist, with 36% saying they would avoid booking with the carrier altogether.