Family Encyclopedia >> Travel

How do you know if an airline is safe and not blacklisted?

Making sure before leaving on a plane trip that the airline you are going to take is reliable and that it is not blacklisted is one of the legitimate concerns of all travelers. In France and Europe, companies are strictly controlled and must meet stringent security standards.

How do you know if an airline is safe and not blacklisted?

Foreign airlines do not have this obligation. Europe has therefore drawn up a blacklist of fleets that do not comply with minimum safety rules in order to better inform passengers. So you might as well find out before you go on a plane trip.

Strict control of European airlines

In France, airlines are subject to strict safety checks by a European body, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). As a guarantee of safety, its standards are even more restrictive than the minimum international safety requirements defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The European Commission regularly convenes aviation safety committees, made up of Member States' aviation safety authorities, to assess companies that do not meet minimum international safety standards.

A European airline blacklist

Foreign companies, especially non-European ones, are not obliged to comply with EASA standards. Consequently, the European Union has set up a blacklist of companies banned from flying on its territory, which is updated regularly. These bans are based on the companies' non-compliance with the minimum safety standards in force in Europe and on criteria such as aircraft maintenance, the obsolescence of the aircraft or the companies' ability to remedy the problems observed. In its inventory, the EU also has companies that are subject to operating restrictions such as Afrijet and New Air Affaires SN2AG in Gabon, Air Koryo in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Air Service Comores in the Comoros, Iran Air in Iran and TAAG Angola Airlines in Angola.

This blacklist, which currently includes 181 airlines, mainly concerns companies from Africa and Asia, and more particularly from countries such as Indonesia, Equatorial Guinea, Congo, Gabon and Sierra Leone. In order to better inform travellers, the European Union makes this blacklist available on its website.

In addition to the publication of the European body, travelers can also consult the barometer of securvol.fr, an independent media made up of professional journalists and experts whose mission is " to deliver reliable information on airlines and more broadly on the aviation sector" . The airlines are presented by group:"good level", "correct level", "subject to", "to avoid" and "prohibited in Europe or to be prohibited".