Twenty Russian airlines have been added to the European Commission’s list of airlines prohibited from operating in the European Union (EU) because of what the commission called “serious safety concerns” stemming from Russia’s “forced re-registration of foreign-owned aircraft.”
Airlines named on the EU Air Safety List are banned from operating in the EU or are subject to operational restrictions because they do not meet international safety standards.
The commission’s revision of the list in mid-April brings to 21 the total number of Russian airlines subject to the ban.
The commission said that, in re-registering the aircraft, Russia was “knowingly allowing their operation without valid certificates of airworthiness. This is in breach of international aviation safety standards.”
Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean added that Russia’s action “poses an immediate safety threat.”
She said the commission acted “solely…
