EU ban ..lifted
European transport commissioner Antonio Tajani, who floated the idea of a global blacklist after the Yemenia accident, says: "We will not accept that airlines fly at different standards when they operate inside and outside Europe - it is high time that the international community rethinks its safety policy.
"Those airlines which are unsafe should not be allowed to fly anywhere. This list has greatly contributed to making Europe's skies safer. We should gradually move towards an international strategy based on co-operation between countries around the world."
While the Commission says that several states, including Ukraine, Russia and Gabon, have made efforts to improve safety standards, there remains a blanket ban on 12 states covering nearly 250 airlines, with only a few exceptions.