Air Express Algeria has been added to the EU Air Safety List and is no longer allowed to operate in European Union airspace, while all airlines certified in Kyrgyzstan have been removed.
The EU Air Safety List is an EU-wide register of airlines subject to an operating ban or restrictions because they do not meet international safety standards, and it has been updated for the 48th time since it was first published in 2006, the European Commission noted in a statement on Tuesday.
All air carriers certified in Kyrgyzstan were taken off the list in recognition of the country’s progress in strengthening aviation safety oversight over the past 20 years.
Air Express Algeria was added after “serious safety concerns” were identified during assessments by EU aviation safety experts, which the Commission said found shortcomings in the airline’s compliance with international safety standards.
What the updated list includes
A total of 154 airlines are currently banned from EU skies following the update, the Commission said.
That figure includes 126 airlines certified in 16 countries because of what the Commission described as inadequate safety oversight by national aviation authorities, and 22 airlines certified in Russia.
Six individual airlines from other countries are also banned based on “serious safety deficiencies identified”: Air Express Algeria, Air Zimbabwe, Avior Airlines, Iran Aseman Airlines, Fly Baghdad and Iraqi Airways.
Two other airlines — Iran Air and Air Koryo of North Korea — are subject to operational restrictions and can only fly to the EU with specific aircraft types.
The Commission also published new Eurobarometer survey findings on public awareness of the list, saying seven in ten Europeans consider it an effective tool for protecting passengers from unsafe airlines.
