One month and two weeks after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Commission decided to blacklist 21 Russian airlines on the grounds of their non-compliance with international safety standards.
This is mainly because no international body can know with certainty the airworthiness compliance of the aircraft.
Just four days after the invasion began, several countries banned Russian airlines from using their airspace. But the companies were also at the mercy of having their foreign-owned aircraft confiscated, so they were suspending their international flights accordingly.
Seventy percent of the Russian companies’ fleet belongs to foreign companies registered in countries such as Cyprus, Maldives, Ireland, or Bermuda. The latter two countries decided to withdraw the airworthiness certificate of their aircraft in Russia. Immediately, the Russian government decided to nationalize each aircraft.
According to the European Commission, after meeting on April 5, operations with foreign aircraft without a valid Certificate of Airworthiness reflect serious safety concerns. This is due to Russia’s forced re-registration of foreign-owned aircraft, knowingly allowing their operation without valid airworthiness certificates.
«Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has allowed Russian airlines to operate hundreds of foreign-owned aircraft without a valid Certificate of Airworthiness. The Russian airlines involved have knowingly done so in violation of relevant international safety standards,» said Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean.
She further went on to explain that this is not only a clear violation of the Chicago Convention but also poses an immediate threat to safety.
«However, I want to make it very clear that this decision is not just another sanction against Russia; it has been taken solely on technical and safety grounds. We do not mix security with politics,» Vălean concluded.
The measure includes Aeroflot, Azur Air, Nordwind, Pegas Fly, Pobeda, Rossiya, S7, Ural Airlines, and Utair, which had scheduled and charter flights to the European Union. In addition, they add regional airlines Aurora, Aviastar-Tu, Iraero, Rusjet, Yakutia, and Yamal.
The blacklist has been in existence since 2006. After its update, a total of 117 airlines are banned from EU skies:
- 90 airlines certified in 15 different states, due to inadequate safety oversight by the aviation authorities of these states;
- 21 airlines certified in Russia, as well as 6 individual airlines from other States, based on identified serious safety deficiencies: Avior Airlines (Venezuela), Blue Wing Airlines (Suriname), Iran Aseman Airlines (Iran), Iraqi Airways (Iraq), Med -View Airlines (Nigeria) and Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe).
Two additional airlines are subject to operational restrictions and can only fly to the European Union with specific aircraft types: Iran Air (Iran) and Air Koryo (North Korea).
