EU Removes Moldovan Airlines from EU Air Safety list and adds a Russian carrier

The European Commission has updated the list of airlines that are subject to operational restrictions or an operating ban within the EU as they don’t meet international safety standards.

In line with the Commission’s aviation safety policy, the list, which is known as the EU Air Safety List, aims to ensure the highest level of air safety for European nationals and all other passengers travelling to and from the EU.

Therefore, in order to provide safety for all passengers, the Commission has adopted a new EU Air Safety List. According to the new update, all airlines that are certified in Moldova have been removed from the list.

This means that specific carriers from Moldova are now able to fly again to the EU as they have shown improvements to aviation safety in the country, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

On the other hand, one Russian carrier has been added to the list due to concerns regarding its ability to act in accordance with international standards.

“Maintaining the highest level of safety for all air travellers and personnel is a top priority. The EU’s Air Safety List remains one of our most effective tools to achieve this. I am particularly glad that after two years of intense work, we are today able to remove all air carriers from Moldova from this list, opening the door for them to fly again to the EU. It shows that hard work and close cooperation pay off,” Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean stated.

Except for ensuring high levels of safety in the EU, the Air Safety List also helps affected airlines and countries to improve their levels.

Following the newly made update, 97 airlines are currently banned from the EU skies. More precisely, 90 airlines certified in 15 states have been banned from the EU skies due to inadequate safety oversight by the aviation authorities of these countries.

Moreover, the remaining seven are individual airlines that have been banned due to serious safety deficiencies. This list includes:

Avior Airlines (Venezuela)
Blue Wing Airlines (Suriname)
Iran Aseman Airlines (Iran)
Iraqi Airways (Iraq)
Med-View Airlines (Nigeria)
Skol Airline LLC (Russia)
Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)

In addition, two other airlines are currently subject to operational restrictions and are permitted to fly to the EU with only specific aircraft types. These two airlines are Iran Air (Iran) and Air Koryo (North Korea). schengenvisainfo.com