Daily Times

The European Commission has updated its blacklist of airlines banned from operating in the European Union, which now drops from 178 to 120. Europe has greenlit nearly 60 airlines to fly in the Union’s skies. Previously, the EU blacklist featured 178 carriers, of which 172 were banned due to a lack of safety oversight by their local aviation authorities, and the remaining six were banned due to safety concerns with regard to the airlines themselves. In 2016, a total of 216 airlines were banned from EU skies. Now, the European Commission has updated its list to include a total of 120 carriers from 21 different countries. Many are based in African countries, such as Angola, DRC, Djibouti, Eritrea, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Suriname and Zimbabwe. Six other airlines, including Air Koryo, Iran Air and Air Service Comores, must operate under certain restrictions, mainly relating to the types of aircraft they can use.

Published in Daily Times, June 20^th 2018.