EU plans unsafe airline blacklist

The blacklist is aimed at reassuring travellers about their safety

The European Parliament has voted to put together a blacklist of airlines that fail to meet safety requirements.

Under the plans, which still need the approval of European Union transport ministers, firms on the list would not be allowed to operate at EU airports.

The move comes after a number of aeroplane crashes over the summer that killed more than 500 passengers.

At present, carriers banned in one country can simply switch their landing destination, avoiding any restrictions.

The EU's Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said he hoped the blacklist would help ease consumer concerns about airline safety.

Stringent

"We had a tragic summer marked by a spate of air crashes that claimed more then 500 lives," Mr Barrot said before the European Parliament voted on the blacklist proposals.

"European passengers need to be assured that all aircraft abide by the highest safety standards," he said.

"I want stringent safety rules to apply in all [EU] member states and to all airlines whether based in the EU or not," he added.

Several countries including the UK, Switzerland, France and Belgium already have airline blacklists but they are not binding outside their national borders and so can be circumvented.

Some of the airlines banned are based in countries including Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, North Korea, Equatorial Guinea and Liberia.

Should it get ministerial approval, the new EU-wide blacklist would be expected to come into force at the start of next year.

More muscle

Ministers are scheduled to meet on 5 December to discuss the plan.

Once it is up and running, consumers will have to be told the name of their airline when booking a ticket and should it change or be shifted to a firm on the blacklist, travellers may be able to claim a refund, reports said.

The EU has also proposed extending the powers of the Germany-based European Aviation Safety Agency.