EC Bans Kazakh, Zambian Carriers

The European Commission last week updated its list of airlines forbidden from entering European skies, lifting the ban on four airlines from Indonesia, while moving to ban carriers from Zambia and Kazakhstan.

Indonesian airlines Garuda Indonesia, Airfast Indonesia, Mandala Airlines and Premiair are no longer banned from operating in Europe "because their authority ensures that they respect the international safety standards," the EC noted.

Though Kazakhstan and Zambia join more than 10 countries whose carriers are banned from flying in Europe—including Angola, Benin, and the Democratic Republic of Congo—the EC in its notice said Kazakh carrier Air Astana, "whose operations into the Community are frozen under strict restrictions," is not included in the ban.

European Commission vice president Antonio Tajani in a statement said, "We will not accept that airlines fly at different standards when they operate inside and outside Europe. It is high time that the international community rethinks its safety policy. Those airlines which are unsafe should not be allowed to fly anywhere. This list has greatly contributed to making Europe's skies safer. We should gradually move towards an international strategy based on cooperation between countries around the world."