(Ecofin Agency) - On November 28, 2018, the European Commission published an updated list of airline companies no more meeting international security standards and thus subjected to a prohibition or operational restrictions within the European Union.
Overall, 115 companies in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Iran, North Korea and in Africa are on this blacklist. However, Africa is the region with the largest number of airline companies on the list.
There are notably 82 certified companies, in 14 African countries, including 78 that are forbidden to access the European airspace.
Seventy-six airline companies from eleven African countries are suspended because of a lack of surveillance and security from their civil aviation. These countries are Angola (8) ; Congo (8) ; the Democratic Republic of Congo (21) ; Djibouti (01) ; Equatorial Guinea (02) ; Eritrea (02) ; Gabon (06) ; Libya (07) ; São Tomé and Príncipe (02) ; Sierra Leone (07) and Sudan (12).
Two other certified airline companies from two African countries have also been forbidden to access the European Union airspace for security reasons involving their own firms. They are Med-View Airlines (Nigeria) and Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe).
Four companies are subjected to operational restrictions and can only access the said airspace with specific aircrafts. They are notably Afrijet and Nouvelle Air Affaires SN2AG (Gabon), Air Service Comores (Comoros) and TAAG Angola Airlines (Angola).
List of airline companies forbidden to access the European Union’s airspace by countries :
Nigeria (01)
Zimbabwe (01)
Angola (08)
Congo (08)
The Democratic Republic of Congo (21)
Djibouti (01)
Equatorial Guinea (02)
Eritrea (02)
Gabon (06)
Libya (07)
Sao Tomé-and-Principe (02)
Sierra Leone (07)
Sudan (12)
List of companies subjected to operational restrictions
Angola (01)
Comoros (01)
Gabon (02)