Countries Who Cannot Fly in the European Union

The European Union is known to enforce strict guidelines concerning the operations in its airspace. Countries that do not adhere to these guidelines have been banned completely from operating aircraft within the EU. Below is a list of some of these countries.

Countries Who Cannot Fly in the European Union

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

All airplanes from Congo have been banned from operating in the EU. This is because most of the airplanes that were used during the civil war have been converted to passenger planes and most do not meet the EU safety standards.

Sudan

All airlines based in Sudan are banned from operating within the EU due to the country's association with terror groups and Islamic extremists. Sudanese citizens have also been banned from entering the US because of the same reason.

Libya

Just like Sudan, airplanes from Libya have also been banned from entering the EU due to security reasons linked to Islamic extremism and terror groups such as ISIS. The UE consider airlines from Libya not safe enough to operate in their airspace.

Nepal

The EU banned Nepali airlines after the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) cited noncompliance with its regulations concerning flight operations and air accident investigation. Before banning the airlines, the European Aviation Agency had placed them in their aviation blacklist.

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan airlines have been banned from operating in EU due to the poor state of their aircraft. Several observers started that corruption is rampant within the airline industry's and has led to losing of specialized labor to other countries leaving the sector operating below the ICAO standards.

Equatorial Guinea

Airlines operated from Equatorial Guinea have also been banned from operating in the EU. Just like the other Airlines, they failed to meet the safety standards set by the European Aviation Agency. Seven airlines from the country have been banned.

Sao Tome and Principe

Seven Airlines have been banned from operating in the EU due to poor safety standards. Due to the ban, The Portuguese airline Euro Atlantic Airways operates flights to the UE on behalf of the banned airlines.

Afghanistan

Airlines from Afghanistan were banned from the EU due to safety standards and terror-related activities that occurred in the countries. Ariana Airlines was only allowed to operate a French registered Airbus A310 before it was included in the blacklist in 2012.

Djibouti

Djibouti was also included on the EU blacklist for failing to meet the European Aviation Agency safety standards. The country has an ailing aviation history with the country's national airline Air Djibouti ceasing operations in 2002 but was relaunched in 2016. All the four airlines registered in the country suffered the ban.

Mozambique

All airlines that were issued an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) by Mozambique suffered the EU ban in 2011. Most of the flights affected flew to Lisbon, and Portugal's Euro Atlantic Airways took the flight role operating flights from EU members to Mozambique.

Syria

The Syrian Civil War led to more than just death and destruction; it also led to sanctions including a ban on three airlines registered in the country. The ban prevented flights to Europe and the use of spare parts made in the European Union from being used in any of the airplanes registered in Syria.

Other countries affected by the ban

Other airlines affected by the ban include two Airlines based in Eritrea, and North Korea. In May, 2016, Airlines from Benin,and Mozambique were permitted to operate in EU airspace after adhering to the regulations set by the commission.However,other airlines including Nigeria's Med-View ,Zimbabwe's Air Zimbabwe and Ukraine's Aviation Company Urga, were added to the list of banned flights.