Philippine Airlines and Conviasa okay to resume European Union services

Venezuelan carrier Conviasa and Philippine Airlines have been cleared to resume services to the European Union in the latest EU blacklist update.

All carriers from the Philippines were banned from European airspace in 2010, but the Commission said the Philippine authorities have improved their safety oversight and Philippine Airlines has met the standards needed for the ban to be lifted. “For all other carriers registered in the Philippines the ban remains,” the Commission said in its first blacklist update since December 2012.

Conviasa, which has been on the list since April 2012, has now resolved its “serious safety deficiencies” following an European Aviation Safety Agency audit in Spain and an ICAO check in Venezuela, according to the Commission.

It also praised Libya’s progress, but said Libyan authorities have agreed to maintain a voluntary ban on their airlines operating to Europe until they reach full compliance with international safety standards.

Sudan and Mozambique were likewise highlighted for their “good progress” and the Commission recognized reform efforts in Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Libya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Philippines, Russia and Sudan.

“Today we confirmed our willingness to remove countries and airlines from the list if they show real commitment and capacity to implement international safety standards in a sustainable manner. Beside Philippines, Venezuela and Mauritania, good signs of progress are also coming from a number of other African countries,” European Commission VP-Transport Siim Kallas said.

Air Madagascar, which is not banned but remains under strict limitations and restrictions, was granted permission to operate another aircraft.

The EU has a blanket ban on 20 countries covering 278 airlines with a few named exceptions. It has also banned two individual airlines—Surinam’s Blue Wing Airlines and Meridian Airways from Ghana—taking the blacklist total to 280 airlines. A further 10 airlines are allowed to operate under strict conditions.

Countries where all operators are banned comprise Afghanistan, Angola, Benin, Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon (with three exceptions), Indonesia (with five exceptions), Kazakhstan (with one exception), Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Mozambique, Philippines (with one exception), Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, Swaziland and Zambia.

(Victoria Moores - ATWOnline News)