New EU blacklisted countries/airlines now published

[Andrew Ong 1]

Is Angola and Indonesia are retaliating on the EU's decision (based on the looks of this)? (just want to know)

[Terence Ong 0]

Is Angola and Indonesia are retaliating on the EU's decision (based on the looks of this)? (just want to know)

 

Yeah. Why should they support an EU company when their planes cannot enter their territory?

[KK Lee 5]

Yeah. Why should they support an EU company when their planes cannot enter their territory?

 

Banning any airline or any products may lead to tick for tack action or mini trade war. EASA must have substantiated evident and repeated incidents lead to banning of Indonesian airlines in EU.

 

The poor safety record of Indonesian airlines doesn’t speak well of Indonesian aviation authority or aircraft manufacturer. Indonesian authority should look into improvement of safety record rather than starting a trade war.

 

 

[Pieter C. 5]

EU Keeps Indonesia On Airline Blacklist, Adds Gabon

 

July 24, 2008

The European Commission added the west African state of Gabon to its airline safety blacklist on Thursday and maintained a ban on all Indonesian airlines flying to the European Union.

 

Safety experts from all 27 EU states called for the Indonesian ban to be upheld after meetings with airlines Garuda, Mandala and Air Fast and with local aviation authorities.

 

"The Indonesian authorities have still not developed and implemented an efficient oversight program on any of the carriers under their regulatory control," a European Commission statement said.

 

A ban on Iran's Mahan Airlines, imposed last September, was lifted, following EU safety inspections in Iran.

 

The year-old Indonesian ban follows a series of air crashes in Indonesia and reports of deteriorating safety standards since deregulation of the country's aviation sector in the late 1990s.

 

On Thursday, a Garuda Indonesia pilot was charged with negligence over a crash last year that killed 21 people when the plane he was landing skidded off the runway at Yogyakarta airport.

 

No Indonesian carriers fly to the EU, but the ban affects the sprawling archipelago's tourist industry, as Europeans have been warned not to use Indonesian airlines on transit routes, such as between Jakarta and the island of Bali.

 

Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani rejected media allegations the EU had maintained the Indonesian ban for political reasons.

 

"We do not have a political agenda to pursue," he told reporters. "All we want is to guarantee the safety of EU citizens. If an airline has respected all of the safety and security rules, then they'll be struck off the blacklist."

 

The Commission added airlines from Gabon to its blacklist, except for Gabon Airlines and Afrijet which will be restricted from expanding their European operations any further and will be regularly inspected.

 

The updated list also maintains a ban on all carriers from Equatorial Guinea, the Kyrgyz Republic, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Swaziland and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

EU Bans Siem Reap Airways, All Angolan Carriers

 

November 14, 2008

The European Commission banned Cambodia's Siem Reap Airways from operating in the European Union and extended a ban on TAAG Angola Airlines to all carriers certified in Angola, citing safety concerns.

 

The Commission, executive arm of the 27 country EU, on Friday also maintained a ban on all operations of Ukraine Mediterranean Airlines and Ukraine Cargo Airways, saying they had failed to deal with previous safety concerns.

 

"The European Commission will pursue actively its dialogue with all states... to ensure that they conform to internationally required levels of air safety on a sustainable basis," EU Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani said.

 

(Reuters)

 

[C.Foo 3]

 

From http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/...es-in-july.html

 

EU may lift ban on four Indonesian airlines in July

By Siva Govindasamy

 

The European Commission could allow four Indonesian airlines to serve its members from July, partially lifting a blanket ban that it imposed in 2008 after a number of accidents involving the country's carriers.

 

Senior officials from Indonesia's Directorate General of Air Communications (DGAC) will travel to Brussels next week for talks, and the ban on Airfast Indonesia, Garuda Indonesia, Mandala Airlines and Premiair should be lifted as they have fulfilled most of the EU's criteria, says a DGAC official.

 

Garuda is Indonesia's national carrier, Mandala is a privately owned scheduled carrier, Airfast is a charter airline that does much of its work for western mining companies and Premiair is another charter airline that does corporate jet charters for European and US customers.

 

The European Commission issued the ban last June after Indonesia failed an ICAO safety audit, and asked the country to implement some of the 600 recommendations that ICAO put forward. These included having an independent regulator, improving rules governing airlines, and increasing the standard of its safety inspectors.

 

Indonesia has been taking steps to fulfil these criteria in order to get the EU ban lifted. Earlier this year, it suspended the air operator certificates (AOC) of five of the country's smaller airlines for failing a quarterly audit that is now conducts on airlines to ensure they fulfil safety standards.

 

[Y. J. Foo 0]

Not gonna be good for the airlines in the Philippines...

 

Meanwhile IR has gotten itself restrictions, and Air Koryo gets some relaxations.

 

Flightglobal

 

Official EU blacklist

 

 

[Tamizi Hj Tamby 1]

Since JS have acquired brand new Tu-204 jets,that's the reason why they've got some relaxations.

 

Perhaps it's time for JS to acquire brand new Tupolev,Ilyushin and Antonov plane.And what a bad news for the airlines of Philippines.

 

BTW,here's the photos of the JS 2nd Tu-204 (P-633) via Facebook:

Photo of Air Koryo 2nd Tu-204 (P-633)

Edited March 31, 2010 by Tamizi Hj Tamby

[Alan B. 5]

Air Asia Indonesia is also still on the list.

[Cornelis Boersma 0]

This also includes Philippine Airlines new 777s?

[BC Tam 2]

I sincerely hope our local SilverFly is not leading Malaysian aviation down the same path

[Juergen Witte 0]

This also includes Philippine Airlines new 777s?

 

Yes !

 

But they are working on a partial exemption similar to a few indonesian airlines that were excluded.

Which will probably lead to PR and 5J to be excluded from the ban.

 

I have a reliable source ! (working for the philippine CAAP)

 

Two weeks ago there was a delegation in Brussels to "negotiate" with the European Commission and (once again) tried to convince the Commission that correcting actions were already taken sufficiently to not put them on the blacklist or at least get once again more time to continue the "correction/upgrading process".

 

The efforts already reached were recognized but not deemed sufficient !

 

Btw./e.g.: one major obstacle seems to be the ATO/CAAP permission to operate the chinese MA-60 by Zest Air as the aircraft does not have any internationally recognized airworthiness certificate - neither FAA nor EASA ...

But of course there are many more contributing deficiencies !!!

 

It was originally planned that the philippine delegation continues to Montreal and attend a hearing at the ICAO headquarters but this was deemed useless after the Philippines were put on the blacklist by the European Commission.

So, the journey to Montreal was skipped ...

Edited April 10, 2010 by Juergen Witte

[Tamizi Hj Tamby 1]

If PR still on the list;then their proposed expansion plan will be jeopardized.

[Pieter C. 5]

Indonesia Sees EU Lifting Ban On More Airlines

 

July 2, 2010

 

Indonesia expects the European Commission to remove two more Indonesian airlines from a list of carriers banned from operating service routes to the European Union, a government official said on Friday.

 

Under the ban, brought in three years ago after a string of Indonesian air safety disasters, Europeans travelling in Indonesia are also warned not to use domestic services of blacklisted carriers.

 

Indonesia's director general of air transport, Herry Bakti Singayudha Gumay, said that he expected the ban on Batavia Air and Indonesian Air Asia to be lifted soon.

 

"Formally, they have not yet been given permission but when I met with (the director of air transport for the European Commission) Daniel Calleja, he told me that in principle Batavia Air and Air Asia would be approved," he said.

 

Indonesia submitted the names of three airlines for consideration for removal from the blacklist -- Batavia Air, Indonesian Air Asia and Lion Air.

 

Lion Air's request for removal from the blacklist had not yet been approved, he said.

 

"Lion Air were asked to provide more complete information in relation to their airline development plan. They are growing very fast and adding planes very quickly, so they were asked for more information about their safety and security programme," he said.

 

(Reuters)

[flee 5]

By Kerry Reals

 

European safety authorities have expanded the operating restrictions imposed on Iran Air to include a ban on allowing the carrier's Airbus A320s, Boeing 727s and 747s to operate within the European Union.

 

In a revision of its airline 'blacklist' published in March, the European Commission placed restrictions on Iran Air after ramp checks uncovered evidence of "insufficient oversight".

 

However, at the time it said the airline could continue to operate 18 Airbus A300/310s, nine Boeing 747s, six Airbus A320s and a single Boeing 737 into Europe.

 

But in a further revision released today, the Commission says that - following a recent visit to Iran - its air safety committee "unanimously supported the expansion of the operating restrictions" to exclude Iran Air's fleet of A320s, 727s and 747s.

 

The Commission adds that it will "continue to closely monitor the performance of the airline through the results of ramp checks of its aircraft which can operate in the EU".

 

Surinam's regional carrier Blue Wing has been put back on the blacklist, following an Antonov An-28 accident in May.

 

Blue Wing had been on the original list of banned carriers but had its ban lifted in November 2007.

 

The latest ban is in response to "a series of accidents suffered by this airline and serious deficiencies revealed during ramp inspections of its aircraft", says the Commission.

 

Two Indonesian carriers, Metro Batavia and Indonesia Air Asia, have been removed from the latest blacklist.

 

Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/07/06/344095/latest-eu-blacklist-bans-iran-air-a320s-and-747s.html

[Pieter C. 5]

Some more bad news for Iranian aircraft:

 

Iran Says Planes Denied Fuel In Germany, UK, UAE

 

July 5, 2010

 

An Iranian official said on Monday the country's aircraft had been denied fuel in Germany, Britain and the United Arab Emirates as a result of tighter US sanctions, but those countries did not confirm imposing any ban.

 

Pressure is mounting on Iran over its nuclear programme and the United States has stepped up its push to isolate Tehran economically. On Thursday, President Barack Obama signed into law far-reaching sanctions that aim to squeeze the Islamic Republic's fuel imports and deepen its international isolation.

 

"Since last week, our planes have been refused fuel at airports in Britain, Germany and UAE because of the sanctions imposed by America," Mehdi Aliyari, Secretary of the Iranian Airlines Union, told Iran's ISNA news agency.

 

The claim could not be independently confirmed and was met by scepticism. None of the three countries has announced any such ban, although officials could not rule out private firms refusing to fuel Iranian planes because of US measures.

 

A British government spokesman said it was unaware of any Iranian planes being denied fuel in Britain. The German transport ministry said there was no ban on refuelling Iranian aircraft, and an airport in the United Arab Emirates said it was honouring contracts to fill Iranian aircraft normally.

 

Gala Riani at IHS Global Insight said any measure targeting the provision of fuel to Iranian flights would seem a "very strict reading" of the new US sanctions law. She said it would not necessarily be the kind of measures the legislation, which is more directed at trade in fuel, aimed to achieve.

 

"I'd be cautious to jump to any conclusions," she said about the Iranian news agency report.

 

A spokeswoman for Abu Dhabi Airports (ADAC) in the UAE capital said: "We have contracts with Iranian passenger flights and continue to allow refuelling."

 

Fuel traders from three different international firms said they had heard of no ban on jet fuel sales to Iranian aircraft at UAE airports. Said one trader: "You can't allow a plane to land and then not let it buy fuel."

 

Germany's Transport Ministry said the refuelling of Iranian planes was not banned under EU or UN sanctions, nor was any such ban foreseeable. "There is no ban," a spokesman for the ministry said, adding that he could not comment on whether any individual providers were refusing to fuel Iranian aircraft.

 

Although the British authorities were not aware of any Iranian aircraft having been denied fuel, a government source said: "It is a commercial decision for companies to take how they respond to the US legislation."

 

UAE TIGHTENS FINANCIAL RULES

 

The claim followed steps by the UAE this month to tighten its crucial role as a trading and financial lifeline for Iran. The UAE Central Bank asked financial institutions to freeze the accounts of 40 entities and an individual blacklisted by the UN for assisting Iran's nuclear or missile programmes.

 

The US action and other measures planned by the European Union go well beyond a fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran approved on June 9.

 

Over the past weeks a number of countries and firms have cut back on their imports of Iranian crude oil. More companies have also stopped providing Iran with refined petroleum which Tehran needs to import to meet domestic demand.

 

Iran is the world's fifth-largest oil producer, but imports various oil products for lack of sufficient refining capacity.

 

The US measures, unlike the UN sanctions, target Iranian imports of refined products.

 

A State Department press officer in Washington was able to comment on Monday, a US holiday, on whether the new US sanctions barred firms abroad from refuelling Iranian air craft.

 

Western powers believe Iran is trying to build bombs under cover of a civilian nuclear programme. Tehran says the programme is only for electricity generation and medical purposes.

 

Aliyari said that so far Iran Air, the national carrier, and Mahan Airlines had run into refuelling problems. "Refusing to provide fuel to Iranian passenger planes by these countries is a violation of international conventions," he added.

 

An Iranian lawmaker said his country would retaliate against countries denying fuel to its planes: "Iran will do the same to ships and planes of those countries that cause problems for us," ISNA quoted Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh as saying.

 

(Reuters)

[Tamizi Hj Tamby 1]

God,this is totally unfair!

[Pieter C. 5]

Iran Says Planes Get Fuel; EU Bans Some For Safety

 

July 6, 2010

 

Iranian planes continue to refuel at airports around the world, an official said on Tuesday, a day after an Iranian news report said aircraft had been denied fuel in Germany, Britain and a Gulf Arab state due to US sanctions.

 

The Financial Times said oil major BP had stopped refuelling Iranian jets, a move which would add to a growing list of companies shunning trade with the Islamic state amid a US-led drive to isolate Tehran over its nuclear programme.

 

Iran has been hit by a new wave of international sanctions over its nuclear enrichment activities which the West fears could lead it to make a bomb, something Tehran denies it wants.

 

The United States has also stepped up unilateral action to isolate Tehran economically. On Thursday, President Barack Obama signed into law sanctions that aim to squeeze the Iran's fuel imports and further restrict its access to financial services.

 

But Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast called reports that some countries were refusing fuel supplies to Iranian planes part of a "psychological war".

 

"This news is not right. No such limitation has been imposed," Mehmanparast told a news conference. "The spread of inaccurate news is done in line with creating a negative atmosphere. It's a kind of psychological war against our people."

 

His comments appeared to ignore the fact that first news of the ban came on Monday from a senior Iranian official. The secretary of the Iranian Airlines Union was quoted by Iran's ISNA news agency as saying Britain, Germany and the UAE had denied fuel to Iran Air and Mahan Airlines.

 

EU BAN

 

Adding to uncertainties for its passengers, the European Union banned more planes operated by Iran Air, meaning two-thirds of the carrier's fleet is now prohibited from flying into the airspace of the 27-country EU.

 

An EU spokeswoman said the decision was based purely on safety grounds and had nothing to do with sanctions.

 

Iran's conflicting statements about supplies of jet fuel, combined with failure by companies involved to clarify the situation added to the confusion surrounding the situation.

 

The German Transport Ministry said there was no ban on refuelling Iranian flights and a British government source said London was not aware of any cut to supplies and that any such decision would be up to private companies.

 

A source in the UAE familiar with the issue said a private company there had refused to refuel an Iranian plane, but the UAE had not imposed a ban.

 

BP declined to confirm the Financial Times report but said: "We fully comply with any international sanctions imposed in countries where we operate."

 

Samuel Ciszuk, a senior analyst at IHS Global Insight, said that if the FT report proved correct "it could suggest that BP is trying to be pro-active in managing political relations in the US which are already under tremendous strain because of the Gulf (of Mexico) spill".

 

"The last thing they need now is having a US congressman, for example, saying they are helping Iran."

 

A UAE-based trading source agreed. "BP has no real assets in Iran so it would make sense," he said. "It's harmless for BP and curries favour with the United States. It also makes little difference to Iranian airlines, as there are always other suppliers at airports they can buy fuel from."

 

Over the past weeks a number of countries and firms have cut back on imports of Iranian crude oil. Other companies have stopped providing Iran with refined petroleum.

 

In late June, France's Total became the latest oil company to stop fuel sales to Iran. The US law sanctions any company worldwide that exports refined petroleum products to Iran.

 

Despite being the world's fifth-largest oil producer, Iran lacks sufficient refining capacity to fulfil its domestic demand and has to import up to 40 percent of its fuel needs.

 

The UAE took steps last week to tighten its crucial role as a trading and financial lifeline for Iran. The UAE Central Bank asked financial institutions to freeze the accounts of 40 entities and an individual blacklisted by the United Nations for assisting Iran's nuclear or missile programmes.

 

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has played down the potential economic impact of sanctions, calling a fourth round of UN sanctions as important as a "used handkerchief".

 

(Reuters)

[Hakan 2]

I agree with Tamizi, this is really "unfair"! they are just only to seeking a pretext! if they continue on this act, they would be provoke to Iran, thats all!

[flee 5]

Iran Air's EU ban centres on MRO and airworthiness

By David Kaminski-Morrow

 

Serious flaws in Iran Air's fleet maintenance and airworthiness programmes led to the decision to ban most of the flag-carrier's aircraft from European Union operations.

 

Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation has demonstrated "several weaknesses" in its oversight of Iran Air, including a lack of detailed review of maintenance programmes and minimum equipment lists.

 

These failings have led to "failure to detect errors" made by the airline, states the European Commission in an assessment detailing its rationale for blacklisting the carrier.

 

Iran Air is suffering "significant deficiencies" in the management of airworthiness and maintenance, it says.

 

"In particular basic errors had been made in the maintenance programmes leading to significant omissions from the programmes for safety-related equipment on the Airbus A320 fleet and the Boeing 747-200 freighter," it adds.

 

Ramp check results from Iran Air's A320s are "noticeably worse" than those for other aircraft in the airline's fleet.

 

Assessment of the airline's operations has shown that the A320 fleet maintenance system "failed to ensure that deferred items had been rectified in the specified timescales".

 

No flight-data monitoring has been carried out on the A320 fleet while the rate of data-gathering on other aircraft has been "very low", the Commission adds: "Moreoverthe company is failing to address the basics in terms of the continued airworthiness of its aircraft."

 

Iran Air's A320s, along with its Boeing 747s and 727s, have been included in the most recent revision of the European Union blacklist.

 

The Commission acknowledges that, during an assessment visit in May-June, the Civil Aviation Organisation was able to demonstrate an oversight system which "complies with the intent" of ICAO regulations, and that the CAO had a "strong commitment" to adopting modern safety management techniques.

 

It adds that the CAO has corrected previously-identified weaknesses in audit follow-up procedures, through a system which enables urgent safety issues to be addressed quickly, and says the CAO has shown an "open, co-operative and constructive approach" to addressing shortfalls.

 

Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/07/07/344160/iran-airs-eu-ban-centres-on-mro-and-airworthiness.html

[Pieter C. 5]

Iran Air To Find New Hamburg Fuel Supplier

 

July 13, 2010

 

Iran Air expects to find a new aviation fuel supplier at Germany's Hamburg airport within days, the airline's Germany manager said on Tuesday.

 

Two Iran Air aircraft were unable to refuel at the airport this month. Iran's planes have also reportedly been denied fuel in three countries due to US sanctions.

 

Iran Air's Germany manager Mohammad Reza Rajabi said he expected a new fuel agreement to be signed with a supplier in Hamburg "within a few days".

 

(Reuters)

[Pieter C. 5]

BP, Iran Air End Fuel Contract At Hamburg

 

July 14, 2010

 

Oil major BP has ceased supplying jet fuel to Iran Air at Germany's Hamburg airport, both parties confirmed on Tuesday.

 

Two Iran Air aircraft were unable to refuel at the airport earlier this month and had to be diverted.

 

"We can confirm the contract finished at the end of June," sad a BP spokesman, without giving a reason. She declined to comment on whether BP has ended all contracts with the Iranian flagship carrier.

 

The confirmation follows reports that Iranian aircraft have been denied fuel in Germany, Britain and a Gulf Arab emirate as a result of the latest set of US sanctions designed to heap pressure on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear programme.

 

This was later denied by an Iranian official.

 

Iran Air's Germany manager Mohammad Reza Rajabi said he expected a new fuel agreement to be signed with a supplier in Hamburg "within a few days".

 

He declined to name the new supplier, adding that negotiations were underway.

 

Planes at other European airports are being fuelled normally, he said.

 

"We do not have problems in other European airports, only there (Hamburg)... I think it will be a normal situation by next week."

 

Some aircraft which had not refuelled at Hamburg have been diverted to Frankfurt and Vienna, he said.

 

Rival supplier Royal Dutch Shell plans to let its contracts to supply Iran Air with jet fuel lapse in response to the latest US sanctions, an industry source said last week.

 

(Reuters)

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

Everybody's afraid of the big bad bully known as the United States...

[Pieter C. 5]

EU To Impose Ban On Afghan Planes

 

November 22, 2010

 

The European Commission is to ban Afghan aircraft from European airspace, the chief executive of Afghanistan's second-biggest airline said on Monday.

 

"I fully understand the European Commission's decision," said Safi Airways CEO Werner Borchert, adding the carrier was in talks to buy a European airline to circumvent the ban and keep flying passengers between Kabul and Frankfurt.

 

From Wednesday, aircraft registered in Afghanistan will not be allowed in European airspace after the country failed to meet demands to set up a civil aviation regulator, according to Safi.

 

A European Commission spokeswoman said an updated EU airline blacklist would be published on Tuesday, effective Wednesday. But she declined to say whether Afghan airlines were included.

 

A different Commission source said two weeks ago Afghan airlines would soon be banned from flying to the EU because the war-ravaged country has no safety regulation system.

 

Kabul-based Safi is the country's No. 2 airline after national carrier Ariana Afghan Airlines, already on an EU blacklist. The country's two other private airlines are Kam Air and Pamir Airways.

 

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS

 

Safi, whose Boeing 767-200 regularly takes Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai abroad, prides itself on having higher safety standards than other Afghan carriers.

 

It promises customers international standards as well as aircraft maintained by Germany's Lufthansa Technik.

 

"The problem is that the Commission didn't exclude us from the ban," Borchert said.

 

Safi, owned by the Afghan Safi family, transports many expatriates and benefits from the presence of non-governmental organisations, private security companies and other foreign entities in Afghanistan.

 

Borchert said he hopes Safi will be able to make a deal within two or three months to buy a northern European airline that will act as operator of the carrier's five-plane fleet.

 

The European entity will be owned by German members of the Safi family, will own Safi's five planes and will lease them back to the Afghan carrier. That way, Safi can remain Afghan and keep rights to international routes from Kabul.

 

Until a deal is struck, Safi will lease a Boeing 757 aircraft from an unnamed Spanish carrier to circumvent the ban and keep servicing its route from Kabul to Frankfurt.

 

Safi reached profitability a few months ago and had been generating a bottom-line profit of about USD$1 million a month since September.

 

It plans to add flights from Kabul to Beijing in March, and Borchert said there was high demand for freight to be carried in the cargo hold of planes flying to the Chinese capital.

 

(Reuters)

.

[flee 5]

EU lifts IranAir, Indonesia's Lion Air from safety blacklist

 

The European Commission said Iranian state carrier IranAir can resume flights in the EU, along with Indonesian budget carrier Lion Air, a major buyer of Airbus and Boeing jets, which has been removed from a safety blacklist.

The decision could potentially lead Lion Air to buy more planes, analysts have said.

More:

http://www.reuters.com/article/indonesia-airlines-eu-idAFL8N1981U4