June 29, 2007	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 13, 1428

BRUSSELS, June 28: All Indonesian airlines and several from Russia, Ukraine and Angola will be barred from flying to the European Union due to safety concerns, the European Commission said on Thursday.

“Once more, the EU blacklist will prove to be an essential tool not only to prevent unsafe airlines from flying to Europe and to inform passengers travelling worldwide but also to make sure that airlines and civil aviation authorities take appropriate actions to improve safety,” said Jacques Barrot, commission vice president in charge of transport.

The statement said that all 51 airlines certified in Indonesia would be blocked from flying to the European Union. Currently, no airline from that country has scheduled flights to any European destination. The national flag-carrier Garuda ceased serving Amsterdam and Rome in 2005.

The EU statement also said that Angolan carrier TAAG Angola Airlines, and Volare Aviation from Ukraine would be added to the revised international blacklist. The statement noted that Russia had decided to prohibit all flights to the EU by four passenger airlines and had imposed restrictions on six other operators.—AP