Comoros crash carrier escapes EU blacklist

An airline whose plane crashed off the Comoros Islands in June with the loss of more than 150 lives has escaped being put on a list of carriers barred from EU airspace.

Aviation-safety inspectors from France, Germany, Italy and the UK told the European Commission that Yemenia Airways has responded “in a timely manner” to recommendations made following safety inspections conducted since one of its planes crashed into the Indian Ocean.

The revised blacklist, which was published today by the Commission, was extended to include all carriers from Djibouti, Republic of Congo and Sao Tome and Principe because of safety deficiencies.

A ban on one Ukrainian airline, Ukrainian Mediterranean Airlines, was lifted, although its operations are restricted to one aircraft. The Commission also decided that TAAG Angola Airlines should be allowed to increase the number of flights to Portugal, after inspectors deemed progress on safety had been made.

Antonio Tajani, speaking as the European commissioner for transport, said: “Our aim is not just to create a list of airlines that are dangerous. We are ready to help those countries to build up their technical and administrative capacity to guarantee the safety of civil aviation in their countries.”

This was one of Tajani’s final acts in this role. Following publication of the list, José Manuel Barroso, the president of the Commission, announced that he wants Tajani to take over the industry portfolio in the next Commission.

Today’s update was the 12th since the EU blacklist was first published in 2006.

Today’s update means that carriers from 15 countries – 228 companies in total – are completely banned from EU airspace. These are Angola (with one exception), Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Indonesia, Kazakhstan (with one exception), the Kyrgyz Republic, Liberia, Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, Swaziland and Zambia.