EASA Bans Carriers Certified in Tanzania and Suriname - Could SA be Next?

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has included air carriers certified in Suriname and Tanzania in the list of airlines subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the European Union. This update to the EU Air Safety List, which comprises airlines that are prohibited from operating in the EU due to non-compliance with international safety standards, increases the total number of airlines banned from EU airspace to 169.

The decision is grounded in significant safety concerns identified during evaluations conducted by European Union aviation safety experts. These assessments revealed that the civil aviation authorities in these countries are unable to ensure adherence to international safety standards for air carriers.

This development should raise significant concerns for the South African Civil Aviation Authority, as South Africa also faces the risk of being denied access to US and EU airspace if it continues to violate the regulations governing the investigation of civil aviation accidents. South Africa has not yet established an independent body to investigate aviation accidents and incidents, as mandated by Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention, an international treaty governing civil aviation. This non-compliance was brought to the fore when the SACAA's navigation calibration aircraft, a Cessna Citation II, was destroyed in a crash in 2020.

For Suriname and Tanzania, the identified safety shortcomings cover both operational and regulatory areas. These include a shortage of qualified personnel, ineffective oversight processes in flight operations and airworthiness, and non-compliance with international safety standards by both countries’ civil aviation authorities and certified air carriers.

“Passenger safety remains our top priority,” said Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas. “Following a detailed technical assessment, the European Commission has added all air carriers certified in Suriname and Tanzania to the EU Air Safety List due to serious deficiencies in national aviation oversight. We urge both countries to address these issues promptly. The Commission stands ready to support their efforts toward full compliance with international safety standards.”

Following the update, those banned from EU skies are:

142 airlines are certified in 17 States, due to inadequate safety oversight by the aviation authorities of these States;

22 airlines certified in Russia, as well as 5 individual airlines from other States, based on serious safety deficiencies identified: Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe), Avior Airlines (Venezuela), Iran Aseman Airlines (Iran), Fly Baghdad (Iraq) and Iraqi Airways (Iraq).

Two additional airlines are subject to operational restrictions and can only fly to the EU with specific aircraft types: Iran Air (Iran) and Air Koryo (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea).