Afghan airlines now meet EU standards: ACAA

KABUL Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA) on Wednesday said Afghan airlines, banned from flaying into Europe airspace, had been standardised and could be allowed to resume their flights to European countries henceforth. 

ACAA (operations) deputy head Mahmood Shah Habibi told Pajhwok Afghan News all state-owned and private airlines of Afghanistan were blacklisted by the European Union in 2010 for failing to set up a proper safety regime.

The EU conditions for the Afghan airlines to be removed from the blacklist were an independent civil aviation administration, approval of a law on Afghanistan aviation, standardizing Afghan airlines to meet international standards, hiring international operators to run their fleets.

Habibi said Afghan airlines previously lacked the cited criteria, but the carriers had met that criteria now and the aviation authority had reported the development to the EU about 10 days ago.

He said the EU had confirmed receiving the report from the Afghanistan Aviation Authority and would decide in this regard sometimes later.

Habibi said once the ban was lifted, Afghan airlines would first fly to Germany and then to other European countries. Currently Afghans use foreign airlines to reach European countries.

hs/ma

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