Hundreds of airlines banned from skies
Thursday April 16 2009
NEARLY 200 airlines have been banned from Irish and European skies under a new EU blacklist.
Six airlines from Kazakhstan, one airline certified in Thailand, one additional Ukrainian air carrier and the operations of all carriers certified in the African republic of Benin have now joined the blacklist.
The EU Commission imposed the latest ban due to safety concerns as it issued a new list of banned airlines, which replaces one published last November.
"The Commission will continue to actively pursue a dialogue with everyone involved in aviation to ensure that all aircraft and air carriers conform to internationally required levels of air safety," said Antonio Tajani, Commission vice president in charge of transport.
Entitled
"Air passengers are entitled to feel safe and be safe when their plane takes off."
Among new airlines banned are: One Two Go Airlines (Thailand), Motor Sich Airlines (Ukraine), Air Company Kokshetau, ATMA Airlines, Berkut Air, East Wing, Sayat Air and Starline KZ (Kazakhhstan).
Others on the banned list include Ariana Afghan Airlines, Siem Reap Airways International (Cambodia), Ukrainian Mediterranean Airlines, Air Katanga (Democratic Republic of Congo), Garuda Indonesia, Teebah Airways (Sierra Leone) and Royal Swazi National Airways Corporation (Swaziland).
Progress
The Commission noted "good progress" by Angola in order to improve its safety situation.
And a report of a visit by a European team of experts to Indonesia in February found "considerable improvements".
But it said that civil aviation authorities of EU member states "are only able to inspect aircraft of airlines that operate flights to and from Community airports, and in view of the random nature of such inspections, it is not possible to check all aircraft that land at each Community airport."
mlavery@herald.ie
- Michael Lavery
