Nigeria Content Online

Airlines in Africa have complained against the blacklisting of carriers in the continent by the European Union (EU).

The carriers, under
the African Airlines Association, an umbrella body based in Nairobi,
Kenya, argued that the latest list of airlines banned from the European
airspace due to safety concerns will dent the confidence placed on
African carriers, as 13 of the 17 countries affected by the ban are
from Africa, with a total of 111 African airlines ‘blacklisted.’

“While the EU list
may be well-intended its main achievement has been to undermine
international confidence in the African airline industry,” said Nick
Fadugba, Secretary General AFRAA in a statement.

Admitting that
Africa needs to improve on its air safety record, Mr. Fadugba disclosed
that air safety is the “number one priority” of the association, adding
that the ultimate beneficiaries of the ban are European airlines which
dominate the African skies to the disadvantage of African carriers.

“If any list is to
be published, it should be done by the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO), the global regulator of aviation safety, which has
a known track record of impartiality,” he said.

The association
further argued that last week’s list has the effect of damaging the
reputation of many scheduled African airlines whose safety records and
adherence to ICAO safety standards are comparable to the best airlines
anywhere in the world.

Outlining some of
the contradictions in the blacklist, the association’s secretary
disclosed that majority of the airlines in Africa on the list have
never operated scheduled flights to Europe, do not plan to do so, and
have no aircraft with a range to fly to any EU state.

Mr. Fadugba
disclosed that the list includes many airlines that only exist on paper
and are not operational, stressing that neither the operating license
nor the ICAO registration numbers of most of the banned airlines are
known.

The association,
however, called on the EU to emulate the United States of America,
which introduced the “Safer Skies for Africa” initiative aimed at
upgrading capacity, developing skills and providing infrastructure to
improve safety in the African continent, adding that the US did all
this when only a few of its carriers operate into Africa.

Also calling on the
International Civil Aviation Organization to venture into the matter,
the association in the statement disclosed that it is willing to have
talks with the European Union on the issue.

“We are ready to engage the EU and other stakeholders in
constructive dialogue to find an amicable solution to the air safety
challenges in Africa,” it said.