EU - public consultation on the Black List of Airlines

Air safetyThe European Commission launched a public consultation on the EU Air Safety List Regulation.

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The Air Safety List Regulation gave the Commission the competence to establish and update the list of air carriers subject to an operating ban within the Union and introduced the obligation for the ticket seller to inform passengers of the identity of the operating airline. The EU Air Safety List is reviewed bi-annually in order to keep the list up-to-date and to inform the general public accordingly.

EU Air Safety List

The European Commission introduced the 'Air Safety List' Regulation (Regulation (EC) 2111/2005), also known as 'Black List' Regulation, in 2005 to overcome two shortcomings.

  1. Lack of safety when traveling by aircraft into, from and within the EU: in the early 2000's, airlines from outside the EU were involved in a number of fatal accidents, which resulted in the deaths of a significant number of European citizens. Subsequent analysis established that many of these accidents were not only due to a lack of safety or the airlines themselves, but also to the inadequate application of international safety oversight standards by the relevant aviation authorities. These concerns led to demands for a harmonised approach at EU level by imposing operational bans on unsafe airlines and therefore preventing airlines with poor safety standards from operating into, from and within the EU.  
  2. Lack of clarity regarding the airline which is effectively in charge of the flight: as it is allowed for an airline or ticket seller from which you buy a flight ticket to outsource the flight to another airline, there was a lack of clarity concerning the airline which is effectively in charge of the flight. These concerns suggested that passengers should be informed of the identity of the operating airline.

Public consultation

The Air Safety List celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2016. Now is a good moment to perform an evaluation of the Air Safety List Regulation in order to assess whether the main objectives have been met (a high level of protection for EU passengers from safety risks, enabling consumers to make informed air travel choices and improving aviation safety in general).

This consultation you are invited to respond to is part of the evaluation process of the Air Safety List Regulation. As the main objectives of the regulation directly concern European air transport passengers, we ask for the opinion of the general public on the subject. This will allow the European Commission to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the regulation and will thus feed the evaluation process.

Respondents dealing specifically with issues related to the implementation of large infrastructure projects, as possessing extensive knowledge, will be asked more specific and targeted questions.

The consultation is open until 7 November 2017.

> Public consultation