By IANS
Brussels : All 51 airlines certified in Indonesia are to be banned from operating within the 27-nation European Union (EU) as part of efforts to ensure that "unsafe airlines" do not fly to the region.
The European Commission, the EU's executive arm in Brussels, is expected to adopt a regulation to this effect in the next few days. It will be based on the unanimous opinion of the Commission's air safety committee, updating for the fourth time the list of airlines banned in the EU, Inepnext news service reported.
"The EU black list will prove to be an essential tool, not only to prevent unsafe airlines from flying to the EU, but also to make sure that airlines and civil aviation authorities take appropriate actions to improve safety," said Jacques Barrot, European Commission's vice-president in charge of transport.
The operational restrictions imposed on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) since March will be modified, to allow flights into the EU with specific aircraft.
Other banned airlines include the Angolan flag carrier, TAAG Angolan Airlines, and Volare Aviation Enterprises from the Ukraine.
The Russian Federation has decided to stop all flights to the EU by four local passenger airlines and imposed restrictions on the operations of six other operators. The decision follows consultations with the European Commission.