BANNED: The European Union has banned 92 airlines from using its air space. It is a headline grabbing statement but from a practical point of view most of the carriers concerned have never flown into Europe and never likely to. In a sincere move to bolster air safety the European Commission has approved a blacklist, which includes some 50 (yes ” fifty) airlines from the Democratic Republic of Congo, 13 from Sierra Leone, 11 from Equatorial Guinea, six from Swaziland and three from Liberia. Thailand's Phuket Airlines (seen here at Gatwick) is also on the list as are carriers from Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and North Korea. The suggestion is that you don”t fly on any of them when actually in their country of origin.
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