KATHMANDU, Dec 17: The European Commission of the European Union (EU) has kept Nepal’s airspace on the blacklist. According to the updated details released by the EU on Friday, all 20 airlines licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) remain on the list.
The EU has kept the Nepali aviation sector on the blacklist since 2013. Although Nepal was removed from the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) 'grey list' in 2018 due to improvements in aviation security, it remains on the EU blacklist despite repeated attempts to remove it. As a result, Nepali airlines are prohibited from flying to European countries, though European aircraft are still allowed to fly to Nepal.
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Likewise, this time, Tanzania has been added to the EU blacklist, with the Commission citing safety concerns raised by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). On the other hand, Pakistan’s Pakistan International Airlines has been removed from the blacklist.
According to the updated details, 129 airlines from 15 countries are currently banned from European skies. Among them are 22 airlines from Russia, Tanzania's Air Tanzania, Zimbabwe's Air Zimbabwe, Venezuela's Avior Airlines, Suriname's Blue Wing Airlines, Iran's Asman Airlines, Iraq's Fly Baghdad and Iraqi Airways.
The EU’s grey list now includes seven airlines from Angola, while two others from the country are not banned. Similarly, two airlines from Afghanistan, nine from Armenia, 17 from Congo, one from Djibouti, two from Equatorial Guinea, two from Eritrea, 14 from Kyrgyzstan, 20 from Nepal, one from Sao Tome and Principe, and 12 from Sudan are also on the list. Airlines from Liberia and Sierra Leone are also included.
Additionally, Iran’s Air Iran and North Korea’s Air Korea are banned from operating certain types of aircraft in the European skies, according to the Commission.
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