EU removes Gabon from Euro airspace blacklist after 11 years

Gabonese airlines have been removed from an European Union blacklist that meant that flights from the country could not access the European airspace.

The EU Commission said it had “withdrawn them (Gabon) from the list following improvements in aviation safety in that country.”

The decision announced earlier this week makes it possible for airlines as the National Regional Transport (NRT), Solenta Aviation Gabon, Tropical Air Gabon and Afrijet Business Service to commence flights to Europe.

EU Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said: “I am pleased to announce that the European Commission was able today to clear all Gabonese air carriers from the EU Air Safety List.

“Gabon was on the List already since 2008, so it is very good that we can recognise the efforts the aviation safety authorities in Gabon have made.”

Gabon can heave a sigh of relief but not so for other African country’s that remain banned. Carriers based in Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea remain blacklisted.

Eritrea, Liberia, Libya, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Sudan complete the affected countries.

In the case of Angola all carriers (with the exception of TAAG Angola Airlines and Heli Malongo) remain banned, “due to a lack of safety oversight by the aviation authorities of these States,” the EU Commission confirmed.

The EU Air Safety List, compiles airlines that do not meet international safety standards, and are therefore subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the European Union.

By so doing, it seeks to ensure the highest level of air safety for Europeans and all other passengers travelling in the European Union.