March 29, 2006

The European Union's List of Banned Airlines

Two days ago, I receive this email in my inbox:

EU black list of unsafe airlines
The European Union banned on Wednesday 92 mostly African airlines from its skies after a wave of fatal air crashes last year. It put restrictions on a further three companies.
The ban, the EU's first-ever such blacklist, is due to come into effect on Saturday and works on the principle that an airline banned in one of the bloc's 25 member states will be outlawed in all of them.

The following is the so-called list:

Air carriers completely banned:
Afghanistan: Ariana Afghan Airlines
Comores: Air Service Comores
Democratic Republic of Congo: Africa One, African Company Airlines, Aigle Aviation, Air Boyoma, Air Kasai, Air Navette, Air Tropiques, Air Transport Office, Blue Airlines, Business Aviation, Butembo Airlines, Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation, Cargo Bull Aviation, Central Air Express, Cetraca Aviation Service, CHC Stelavia, Comair, Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation, C0-ZA Airways, Das Airlines, Doren Aircargo, Enterprise World Airways, Filair, Free Airlines, Galaxy Corporation, GR Aviation, Global Airways, Goma Express, Great Lake Business Company, International Trans Air Business, Jet Aero Services, Kinshasa Airways, Kivu Air, Lignes AĆ©riennes Congolaises, Malu Aviation, Malila Airlift, Mango Mat, Rwabika Bushi Express, Safari Logistics, Services Air, Tembo Air Services, Thom's Airways, TMK Air Commuter, Tracep, Trans Air Cargo Services, TRACO, Uhuru Airlines, Virunga Air Charter, Waltair Aviation, Wimbi Diri Airways
Equatorial Guinea: Air Consul, Avirex Guinee Equatoriale, Compagnie Aeree de Guinee Equatoriale, Ecuato Guineana de Aviacion, Ecuatorial Cargo, Guinea Ecuatorial Airlines, Getra, Jetline Inc, KNG Transavia Cargo, Prompt Air GE SA, Union de Transport Aereo de Guinea Ecuatorial
North Korea: Air Koryo
Kazakhstan: BGB Air, GST Aero Air Company
Kyrgyzstan: Phoenix Aviation, Reem Air
Liberia: International Air Services, Satgur Air Transport, Weasua Air Transport
Rwanda: Silverback Cargo Freighters
Sierra Leone: Aerolift, Afrik Air Links, Air Leone, Air Rum, Air Salone, Air Universal, Destiny Air Services, First Line Air, Heavylift Cargo, Paramount Airlines, Star Air, Teebah Airways, West Coast Airways
Swaziland: African International Airways, Airlink Swaziland, Jet Africa, Northeast Airlines, Scan Air Charter, Swazi Express Airways
Thailand: Phuket Airlines

Air carriers banned from flying certain types of aircraft:
Bangladesh: Air Bangladesh
Democratic Republic of Congo: HBA
Libya: Buraq Air




First of all, please note that 50 of the 93 airlines are from Congo. Secondly, it seems I have used 4 of these airlines. I am going to Rwanda in a few weeks for a meeting. I look forward to adding another banned aircraft to my list.

14 comments:

Carl said...

Take Kenya Airways through Nairobi and you won't have to.

If it is any consolation, the UN says that Air Tropiques, Filair and Hewa Bora are ok.

I didn't know there were that many planes in the country let alone airlines.

Victoria said...

:o Please be careful! Please!!

007 in Africa said...

It is possible that some single aircrafts represents two or three airlines. This is Congo after all :)

Congogirl said...

Yes, I had this post in composition mode, I've posted now and linked to you!

This is scary, we have all flown more than one of these.

And, if you google some of them, they actually have websites and lists of their aircraft. For some reason, I find this funny in a dark way.

TheMalau said...

Yeah, it's "special" out there. I have flown only 3 of the banned ones, and I am not surprised they are considered... less than safe. However, they don't have airplanes that even go to outside of DRC. Nor will they ever. So the list is a bit of grand-standing as well. I mean they even banned LAC which has no plane...

Diego Garcia del rio said...

Dorothee.... Apparently, only Hewa Bora is allowed to fly.... (and only with some of its planes)... Ineteresting! But its almost funny to see that more then 50% are from congo!!

As for LAC, Actually, they just got a few planes. They "merged" with a spanish company, but I cant remember its name. The funny part is that the only idea was to fly to europe. Now, it seems, they might not be able to!

Unfortunately, I never left Kinshasa.... but I would have loved to be able to tick some of those off the list!

Greetings,
Diego

Beaver said...

1° Am disturbed that SLOK and Air Ivoire are not banned. They SOO should be.
(am commenting from Abidjan where I am stuck til tomorrow - more to come on that soon)

2° though I beleive the banning of Paramount (see Sierra Leone), I am amazed that it happened : Paramount is the choppe line that saves travellers 2 hours of travel between Freetown and the airport.
AND I TOOK IT TWICE !

Stay safe girl !

Anonymous said...

PLEASE BE CAREFUL PLEASE!!!!!


wHEN ARE YOU GOING BACK TO THE sTATES....

Anonymous said...

So if I understood correctly, of the 50 or so Congolese airlines, only 1 is not banned in Europe?
You should ask your organization for a parachute, or extra danger pay! Or drive from now on (although I suspect that would probably be even more dangerous, especially if you were driving :)
-Ammo

BRE said...

Do any of these "banned airlines" belong to the infamous Viktor Bout? That's all I and the EU authorities are worried about, stopping the gunrunners and mineral smugglers from landing here. They're giving the place a very bad name, Europe that is.

Another question would be, how many of these "African airlines" are actually owned by foreign nationals and companies from you know where? Hmmm? Lot's of them I'd bet.

P.S. I found that "missing" tribal mask yesterday down in the Keller (cellar), plus lots of other African art I've been looking for for years. Everything's cool 007, your Congo masks are (probably) not cursed.

Anonymous said...

About a month ago we received an official circular from MONUC with the non-recommended airlines to use around here, and Hewa Bora was there (I've just e-mailed it to you). So I guess we're only left with Air France and SN Brussels to go to Europe...

Beaver said...

Note that Bellview has not been banned, even though they'd have a crash every 3 months and it's been banned by the UN.

This raises interesting questions. Maybe your organization should have a policy on authorized carriers too. (*wink*wink*)

Anonymous said...

Hello: Do you have any eexprience or knowledge of the ferry between Kinshasa and Brazzaville?
Information from anyone would be appreciated.
ron1011@prodigy.net

BRE said...

Well, here is the answer to my question about good ol' Viktor. Checkout this March 22nd post from the renowned Douglas Farah:
http://www.douglasfarah.com/article/37/bad-news-for-viktor-bout

Damn I'm good (sometimes)...:-)