Airlines based in Gabon could once again fly in and out of the European Union (EU), the bloc’s executive said on Monday as it updated its air safety list.
The list, which is regularly reviewed by EU aviation safety experts, restricts air carriers from operating in Europe if they are certified by a state lacking safety oversight or if there are safety issues detected with the airlines themselves.
“All airlines certified in Gabon have been released from the list following improvements to the aviation safety situation in that country,” the European Commission said in a statement.’
The western African country had been blacklisted by the EU since 2008.
However, Armenia’s Civil Aviation Committee has been put under “heightened scrutiny” due to signs of a decrease in safety oversight, the commission added.
“Today’s decision illustrates our continuous efforts to offer the highest level of safety.
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“Not only to European travellers but to travellers worldwide, because aviation safety knows no border or nationalities,” said EU Transport Commissioner Adina Valeant.
A total of 115 airlines now remain on the blacklist.
Six of them are individual carriers with safety concerns while the 109 other airlines are certified by 15 countries – including Afghanistan, Libya, and Sudan – which the EU deems as lacking sufficient aviation safety oversight.