EU bans 125 airlines from flying into European airspacev

THE EUROPEAN Commission (EC) has banned 125 of the world's airlines from operating inside the European Union's airspace for failing to meet safety standards.

The number of airlines banned from operating in the region has risen by 33 since in March 2006 when the EC posted its blacklist of carriers deemed unsafe to fly in Europe. The list has been expanded six times since.

The latest list of the banned are mostly airlines from Africa, including 50 carriers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, eight from Sierra Leone, six from Swaziland and six from Equatorial Guinea.

A further 42 have been banned from Indonesia, including Cardig Air, Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia Air Asia, Mandala Airlines and Riau Airlines.

The remaining 23 banned carriers are based in the Kyrgyz Republic, including Air Central Asia, Avia Traffic Company, Click Airways and Kyrgyzstan Airlines.

A banned airline can apply to the European Commission be taken off the blacklist, which is available online, once it implements the necessary technical improvements to meet safety standards.

A further three air carriers are subject to operational restrictions within the European Union, they are: Air Bangladesh, Air Service Comores and the Congo's Hewa Bora Airways.

Rome-based Avionews, an aeronautical press agency, said the European Commission has scrapped the ban imposed on Blue Wing Airlines from Surinam and restrictions have been lifted from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).