EU ban on Safi Airways absurd: IATA chief

KABUL): The European Union’s stance on banning Afghan airline Safi Airways is absurd, International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director General Tony Tyler has said.

Now operating out of Dubai, Safi Airways met all international standards, Tyler said at IATA’s annual meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, on Monday.

“They say the issue is oversight and yet it is ok for European carriers to fly in. If it is not safe, it is not safe for all airlines. I think it is time for the European Union to think again,” Tyler was quoted as saying in a statement sent to Pajhwok Afghan News.

He criticised the whole concept of the EU blacklist, saying: “There is no transparency and no international standard. The whole ban list is not helpful for safety, Airlines don’t know why they are on the banned list – and they don’t know how to get off it. That is simply wrong.”

pr/mud

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