This archive report was first published on 17 December 2019.
December 17, 2019, marked a significant milestone for Gabon's aviation industry as the country was removed from the Europe airspace blacklist.
The EU Commission attributed the removal to improvements in aviation safety, allowing Gabonese airlines to access European airspace for the first time in eleven years.
With the ban lifted, airlines such as National Regional Transport (NRT), Solenta Aviation Gabon, Tropical Air Gabon, and Afrijet Business Service are now free to commence flights to Europe.
However, airlines from other countries, including Congo, DRC, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Liberia, Libya, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, and Sudan, remain on the blacklist due to non-compliance with international safety standards.
The EU Air Safety List is a compilation of airlines that do not meet international safety standards, subjecting them to operating bans or operational restrictions within the European Union.
