European Commission clears Air Astana and adds Iraqi Airways to EU air safety list

European Commission announced (10-Dec-2015) it updated the European Union (EU) Air Safety List, clearing Air Astana and adding Iraqi Airways to the list. The EU Air Safety List lists airlines subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the European Union. EU Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said: "Offering the highest level of air safety to European citizens is a priority of the Commission. On Monday we updated the EU's safety rules as part of the Aviation Strategy and today we are updating the EU's Air Safety List. I am satisfied that we were able to clear Air Astana after six years of work. In the interest of European citizens, we are however forced to maintain other Kazakh carriers on the list and to add Iraqi Airways." Iraqi Airways was included in the list due to unaddressed safety concerns. The updated list, to be published on 11-Dec-2015, will include 230 airlines banned from EU skies, and seven airlines subjected to operational restrictions. [more - original PR]