THE RECENT crashes of a Helios plane in Greece that killed 121 and a Caribbean Airways plane in Venezuela that killed 160 have re-sparked discussion in the EU to establish a universal ‘black list’ for certain airlines or airplanes.
The EU proposed putting together a ‘black list’ in early 2005, after a Boeing 737 operated by the private Egyptian operator Flash Airlines crashed in the Red Sea minutes after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 148 on board.
Switzerland had banned the Cairo-based company after a 2002 ground inspection, claiming the airline did not meet minimum international standards. The ban did not take effect in other European countries.
With the recent spate of airline crashes, the need for a comprehensive and universal blacklist is at the front of discussions in the EU Transport Commission.
The list is still in preparatory stages. The European Commission has begun asking for information, from both member and non-member states, for information relating to air safety. The Commission announced on Thursday that it would draft guidelines – which it will present to the European services and the member states – to determine the criteria that would get an airline blacklisted.
“This latest incident shows that in spite of all that has already been done to improve the safety of Europe’s skies, we must intensify our joint efforts to ensure the very highest safety standards for all Europe’s air passengers and crew,” European Union Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said on Sunday upon hearing about the crash.
On Wednesday, Barrot told French radio that the Commission was still awaiting information on air safety from member and non-member states but hoped that “with this information that is sent to the Commission we will be in a position to publish a kind of black list.”
Barrot said that the list would include airline companies or aircraft whose service or flights are restricted from any EU countries. He noted that the list would include companies outside the European Union. “[T]hat way we can assure the safety of all of the European flights, including the flights of companies from third countries that are travelling to and from EU member states.”
A Brussels memo on air safety sent to the Cyprus Mail yesterday confirms EU plans to establish a black list to “ensure a guaranteed high level of safety across Europe”.
“This proposal will allow the drawing up of black lists of airline companies that are considered unsafe,” the memo says. “It is being discussed by European legislators. To facilitate this work, common criteria for the identification of such companies would be established under the aegis of the Commission.”
The memo notes that in the beginning of 2005 the Commission adopted suggestions following the Sharm el-Sheikh plane crash to increase air passenger access to information.
The memo indicates that “because of cases of flight subcontracting” efforts are also underway to “improve information to passengers by giving them the right to know the identity of the plane they are flying”. This would allow passengers to find out if their scheduled flight is being subcontracted out to a different airline, which happens frequently in the private sector, especially during the summer.
Other proposed initiatives include an increase in airline supervision and an improvement in inspections and alert systems for planes and airlines outside the European Union.
Once the Commission prepares the ‘black list’, it will have to be approved by the European Council, which will resume its meetings in September.
The European Commission has asked the Cypriot authorities for all documents related to the Helios plane crash, including maintenance records and a copy of the registration certificate of the Boeing. The Commission is sending two experts, Jean Paul Henrotte and Fransua Janvier, to Cyprus on August 24 to ensure that the investigation into the Helios flight has conformed to EU standards.
The EU has issued repeated warnings to the Cyprus authorities for not incorporating EU aviation legislation under Directive 94/56.
The Cyprus government denies they are not compliant and recently sent the European Commission a Greek document that purportedly demonstrates their compliance with these EU standards. The Commission is currently translating the document.
While the EU pushes for a blacklist, France is considering awarding “blue labels” –stamps of approval – for airlines that excel in air safety. The hope is that such a move would give incentives to airlines to improve safety standards so that they might win the positive advertising that would come with such a seal of government approval.
At the same time, France has said that it supports EU plans to blacklist unsafe carriers.
Air safety has been of particular concern to the French so far this year: 154 of the 160 casualties on the recent Venezuela flight crash were French, as were 133 of the 148 on the Sharm el-Sheikh crash.
Both of those crashes, as well as the Helios crash, were on planes owned by small private carriers, raising concerns that overhasty deregulation – while allowing for smaller airlines to enter the market and offer cheaper prices – has led to increased risks when the airlines are registered in nations with insufficient inspection systems.
