List of air carriers banned in the European Union


The European Union publishes a list of air carriers that are banned from entering the airspace of any of its member states for failing to meet EU regulatory oversight standards. The first version of the list was published in 2006, on the legal basis of Regulation No. 474/2006 of the European Commission, issued on 22 March of that year. The current version of the list was published on 4 June 2020.

Legal procedure

The process by which an air carrier is listed is laid out in Regulation No 2111/2005 of the European Parliament and Council. It involves consultation among the regulatory agencies of the member states, the institutions of the European Community, the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of the air carrier concerned, and the air carrier itself. Before being listed, each air carrier has the right of appeal. The list is subject to periodic review.
In June 2016, all restrictions on Air Madagascar, Iran Air, Lion Air, Citilink, Batik Air, and all Zambian airlines were removed from the list of air carriers banned in the EU.
On 30 November 2017, Avior Airlines from Venezuela was added to the list because of "unaddressed safety deficiencies." No further details were given at the time.
On 14 June 2018, all remaining Indonesian airlines not already removed from the list were removed from the list of air carriers banned in the EU.
On 3 February 2019, Turkmenistan Airlines was banned from European Union airspace, "pending confirmation that it meets international air safety standards", but the ban was lifted on 16 October 2019.
On 8 December 2019, Gabon's airlines were removed from the list, while the Armenian Civil Aviation Committee was "put under heightened scrutiny because of signs of a decrease in safety oversight", and a new update to the list was published on the next day.
As of January 2020, Syria's airlines are not specifically mentioned on the list, but in practice there is a ban against them in the context of the general EU sanctions against Syria.

List of air carriers

Banned airlines by country


CountryBanned airlinesExceptionsNotes
All
AllTAAG Angola Airlines, Heli Malongo Airways
All
All
All
All
All
All
Iran Aseman AirlinesIran Air is subject to restrictions under Annex B.
Iraqi Airways
All
All
All
AllAir Moldova, FlyOne, Aerotranscargo
All
Med-View Airline
Pakistan International Airlines
All
All
All
Blue Wing Airlines
Avior Airlines
Air Zimbabwe

Annex B

Annex B of the EU list covers airlines which are restricted to operating only certain aircraft within the EU. Air carriers listed in Annex B could be permitted to exercise traffic rights by using wet-leased aircraft of an air carrier which is not subject to an operating ban, provided that the relevant safety standards are complied with. It includes the following airlines, with the airline license having been issued in the respective countries:

Country of operatorRestricted airlinesAircraft permittedCountry of aircraft registryNotes
Air Service Comores1 Let L-410 Turbolet registered D6-CAMStill mentioned on the list, although the airline ceased operations in 2016.
Iran AirAll except all Fokker 100 and Boeing 747 aircraft currently on its AOC
Air Koryo2 Tupolev Tu-204 registered P-632, P-633

Citations