EU adds several airlines to blacklist

LUXEMBOURG – The European Union added several airlines on Thursday to its blacklist of carriers that are not permitted to fly in the 25-nation bloc.

The executive European Commission said it banned Kenya’s DAS Air Cargo and Uganda’s Dairo Air Services from flying in the EU as well as all 27 companies certified in Kyrgyzstan. “On top of the changes to the black list we are going to keep a closer watch on a number of carriers operating frequent passenger flights in Europe,” Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said in a statement.The Commission said it would monitor Pulkovo Aviation, which is certified in Russia, as well as Pakistan International Airlines.Other airlines to be under scrutiny are Ghana’s Johnsons Air, and Ajet (the former Helios Airways), which is certified in Cyprus.”The Commission did not consider in any of these cases that an immediate banning measure was called for on the basis of the air safety criteria,” the Commission said in a statement.A Helios Airways plane crash last year killed 121 people and was blamed by a Greek investigator on deficient technical checks and human error, something which Ajet disputes.A plane operated by Pulkovo crashed in Ukraine in August, killing all 170 on board.Nampa-Reuters”On top of the changes to the black list we are going to keep a closer watch on a number of carriers operating frequent passenger flights in Europe,” Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said in a statement.The Commission said it would monitor Pulkovo Aviation, which is certified in Russia, as well as Pakistan International Airlines.Other airlines to be under scrutiny are Ghana’s Johnsons Air, and Ajet (the former Helios Airways), which is certified in Cyprus.”The Commission did not consider in any of these cases that an immediate banning measure was called for on the basis of the air safety criteria,” the Commission said in a statement.A Helios Airways plane crash last year killed 121 people and was blamed by a Greek investigator on deficient technical checks and human error, something which Ajet disputes.A plane operated by Pulkovo crashed in Ukraine in August, killing all 170 on board.Nampa-Reuters