Air Tanzanian Banned from Operating in European Union Airspace
The European Union (EU) has banned all airlines from Tanzania to fly to the EU, from the EU and across EU airspace.
The same list does also include Suriname as a newly listed country.
The European Commission updated the EU aviation safety list, which lists airlines subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the European Union, generally because they do not meet international safety standards or their country’s aviation oversight is considered insufficient.
Based on the latest revision, all air carriers certified in Suriname and Tanzania have been included in the list and can no longer operate within the EU.
The reason, explains the Commissioner for Sustainable Transport, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, is the “serious deficiencies in national aviation oversight” for the two states. “We urge both countries to address these problems promptly.”
This decision is based on serious safety concerns identified during assessments conducted by European Union aviation safety experts.
They revealed that civil aviation authorities in these countries are unable to ensure compliance with international safety standards for air carriers.
For Suriname and Tanzania, the identified safety shortcomings cover both operational and regulatory areas.
These include a shortage of qualified personnel, ineffective oversight processes in flight operations and airworthiness, and non-compliance with international safety standards by both countries’ civil aviation authorities and certified air carriers.
Background
The update to the EU Air Safety List is based on the unanimous opinion of Member State aviation safety experts, who met in Brussels from 13 to 15 May 2025 under the auspices of the EU Air Safety Committee.
This Committee is chaired by the European Commission with support from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The European Parliament’s Transport Committee also supports the update.
Decisions under the EU Air Safety List are based on international safety standards, and notably the standards decreed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
