The European Union on Wednesday banned 92 airlines, most of them based in Africa, from landing at European airports, declaring them unsafe by international standards.
The ban applies to cargo and passenger carriers from Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Swaziland and Liberia judged to have an "inadequate system for regulatory oversight" or insufficient safety standards. It will be enforced by all 25 EU nations, plus Norway and Switzerland.
EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said the EU was barring 50 carriers from Congo alone, 14 from Sierra Leone and seven from Swaziland, virtually ensuring that all airlines operating from those countries were prevented from flying to Europe.
