Which airlines are banned in the European Union and why?

The list was set up in 2006 to flag carriers that “do not fulfil international safety standards”, the Commission explains.

The airlines in the list cannot fly in EU skies, including overflying. Airlines that do not operate flights to the European Union can also be included “in order to warn the public travelling outside of the EU about safety concerns”.

The Commission can decide to ban all the carriers that have received the permission to operate from safety authorities in third countries that “are not able to fulfil their international safety oversight obligations”.

At present, 126 airlines in 16 countries are banned because of shortcomings by national aviation authorities. This includes airlines from Afghanistan, Angola (except for two), Armenia, Congo Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Liberia, Libya, Nepal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Suriname, and Tanzania.

The list also mentions 22 airlines certified in Russia and 6 individual carriers due to “serious safety deficiencies”. These include Air Express Algeria, the latest addition, Air Zimbabwe, Avior Airlines (Venezuela), Iran Aseman Airlines, Fly Baghdad and Iraqi Airways (Iraq).

Two airlines - Iran Air and Air Koryo (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) - can only fly to the EU with specific aircraft types.

When an air carrier is banned, its aircraft and personnel cannot operate in the EU airspace, but the Commission clarifies that these companies can use the aircraft and crews of other airlines not on the list so that tickets and cargo services can go ahead complying with safety rules.

The only carriers that cannot be banned are state flights with diplomatic clearance.

Restriction decisions are based on assessments by a committee of experts from EU countries’ national aviation authorities, and updates are made when necessary or upon request of an EU Member State.

Following a recent assessment, the Commission also decided to remove from the list all carriers certified in Kyrgyzstan “in recognition of the country's progress in strengthening its aviation safety.”

The EU regulation says that passengers have the right to know the identity of the airline they fly with.

A recent Eurobarometer survey showed that 50 percent of respondents were aware of the list and, when an airline is listed, only 8 percent of Europeans book a flight with it.