The EU air safety list: which airlines can’t fly in Europe and why

Iran Air yes, but without the jumbo. Air Koryo only with two very specific Tupolevs. And from Nepal or Afghanistan no airline at all. Behind these rules is the EU air safety list, colloquially the aviation blacklist. It decides which airlines may land in Europe, and with that also which exotics you can see at the fence at all. This article explains how the list comes about, by what criteria bans are imposed, who is affected at the moment and what it means for travelers and spotters.

The EU air safety list in one paragraph

The EU air safety list is a directory of air carriers that may not fly into the EU, out of the EU or through its airspace, or may do so only under conditions. The reason is always safety: either the airline itself does not meet the international standards, or the aviation authority of its home country cannot fulfill its oversight duties. The European Commission maintains the list, advised by safety experts from all member states in the EU Air Safety Committee and supported by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Where the list comes from

The legal basis is Regulation (EC) No 2111/2005 of December 14, 2005. It created a common list for the whole Community after individual states had previously imposed their own, differing flight bans. The political impetus came in the early 2000s from a series of serious charter accidents involving European vacationers. Anyone who traveled on a package deal back then often didn’t even know which carrier was actually flying them.

The first list appeared on March 22, 2006 with Regulation (EC) No 474/2006. Since then it has not been reissued; instead its annex is amended regularly. The only binding version is in each case the annex of the latest implementing regulation, published in the Official Journal of the EU. In addition, the Commission makes the list available as a PDF and table on its website.

Important for understanding: the regulation covers not only the ban but also the information given to passengers. More on that later.

By what criteria bans are imposed

The Commission does not go by the sometimes stricter EU rules but by the minimum standards of ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organization. An airline from a third country therefore does not have to meet European law – but it must comply with what has been agreed worldwide. The common criteria are in the annex of Regulation 2111/2005. In simplified terms, the Commission checks:

• Evidence of serious safety deficiencies – for example from ramp inspections at European airports, from accidents and serious incidents or from flight bans that other states have already imposed.
• The ability and willingness of the airline to remedy identified deficiencies.
• The ability and willingness of the competent authority to oversee its airlines effectively. ICAO audits also feed in here.

The Commission stresses that these are not political decisions. Before an addition, the airline and its authority get the chance to comment. In urgent cases there is an expedited procedure, and individual member states may also provisionally impose a national ban themselves in the event of imminent danger.

There is also a second filter: for several years now, airlines from third countries need a safety authorization from EASA for commercial flights into the EU, the so-called TCO authorization (Third Country Operator). It supplements the air operator certificate (AOC) the airline holds in its home country. Without a TCO authorization, even an airline that is not on the list may not operate scheduled or charter flights into the EU. The findings from the TCO procedure in turn feed into the air safety list.

Annex A and Annex B

The list consists of two parts, and the difference is crucial for spotters.

Feature	Annex A	Annex B
Type of ban	complete operating ban	operation only under conditions
Typical condition	none – the airline does not fly at all	only certain types or individual registrations allowed or banned
Scope (as of June 2026)	154 airlines	a few individual cases
Well-known examples	all airlines from Nepal, Afghanistan, Libya; Iraqi Airways, Avior Airlines	Iran Air, Air Koryo
Visible in Europe?	practically never with its own aircraft	yes, with the permitted aircraft

Annex A: the complete ban

Annex A is divided into two groups. The larger one consists of airlines that are banned only because their home state does not exercise sufficient oversight. In this case the ban applies to all carriers licensed there – even those the Commission has not recorded by name. According to the June 2026 version, this affects 16 states, including Afghanistan, Armenia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, both Congo states, Liberia, Libya, Nepal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Suriname and Tanzania. In Angola, all airlines are banned except carriers expressly exempted, such as TAAG Angola Airlines.

The second group is individually listed airlines from countries whose other carriers may fly. After the update in June 2026, these included, among others, Iraqi Airways, Fly Baghdad, Iran Aseman Airlines, Air Zimbabwe, the Venezuelan Avior Airlines and the newly added Air Express Algeria. In addition there are around two dozen Russian airlines that have been on the list since April 2022. The reason there was not the war itself but a safety problem: the Russian aviation authority allowed these airlines to keep operating aircraft registered abroad without a valid certificate of airworthiness. Independently of that, EU airspace has been closed to Russian airlines by sanctions since 2022 anyway – for example to Aeroflot.

Annex B: flying under conditions

Annex B lists airlines that may come only with selected aircraft. The best-known example is Iran Air: according to the list, the carrier may use its fleet in the EU, except for the Fokker 100 and the Boeing 747. The rule is even tighter for North Korea’s Air Koryo: it may fly into the EU only with two Tupolev Tu-204s named individually, with the registrations P-632 and P-633. Whether such flights actually take place is another question – they are permitted only with these aircraft.

Up and down: the list is in motion

The list is amended whenever the Commission considers it necessary or a member state requests it. In practice the Air Safety Committee meets two to three times a year. A few examples show how much happens:

• Indonesia: In 2007 all Indonesian airlines were put on the list. After reforms of the oversight, they were removed step by step in the following years, the last ones in 2018.
• Pakistan: Not a case of the list, but a related one: Pakistan International Airlines lost its EASA TCO authorization for flights into the EU in 2020 after doubts arose about the validity of Pakistani pilot licenses. In November 2024 the ban was lifted.
• Suriname and Tanzania: In June 2025 all airlines of both states were put on the list. That also affected Surinam Airways, whose connection to Amsterdam was a familiar sight for many spotters at Schiphol Airport.
• Kyrgyzstan: In June 2026 all Kyrgyz airlines were removed – for the first time since the list began, they may fly into the EU again.
• Nepal: The airlines from Nepal, including Nepal Airlines, by contrast have stood unchanged on the list for years. One point of criticism from the EU is that the Nepalese aviation authority is both regulator and airport operator. Why flying in Nepal is particularly demanding is shown in the article on Lukla Airport.

Because the list changes so often, it is worth checking the current version on the European Commission’s website before every trip or research session. Older lists from forums or articles quickly become outdated.

Safety list is not sanctions list

A common mix-up: not every airline that may not land in Europe is on the air safety list. There are three different ways a carrier can disappear from Europe.

Reason	Legal basis	Example
Safety deficiencies	EU air safety list (Reg. 2111/2005)	all airlines from Nepal, Iraqi Airways
Political sanctions	separate EU sanctions decisions	Belavia since 2021, Russian airlines since 2022
Missing authorization	EASA TCO authorization, traffic rights	PIA between 2020 and 2024
Economic end	insolvency, ceasing operations	many cases, see Airline bankruptcies in Europe

Belavia from Belarus, for example, is excluded not because of safety deficiencies but because of the sanctions after the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk in May 2021. Russian airlines are affected by both: they are on the safety list and are additionally locked out by sanctions. For the question of whether an aircraft shows up in Europe, the result is the same – legally, though, they are completely different procedures.

Wet lease: the back door with conditions

An operating ban refers to the air carrier, not to the registration or nationality of an aircraft. This gives rise to an important exception: a banned airline may, under conditions, wet-lease aircraft together with crew from a carrier that is not banned and thus offer flights into the EU. Responsibility for safety then lies with the lessor, which operates the flights under its AOC. How such arrangements work is explained in the article Wet lease explained.

For spotters this can produce exciting situations: a European or other approved aircraft flying on behalf of a listed airline, under its flight number but with the operator’s callsign.

What the list means for travelers

Regulation 2111/2005 protects passengers in two ways:

• Right to information: Anyone who books must be told which carrier actually operates the flight. This applies to airlines, tour operators and intermediaries. If the operating carrier changes after the booking, you must be informed without delay. This is especially relevant for codeshare flights and charter flights.
• Right to compensation: If the operating carrier is banned after your booking and the flight is therefore canceled or replaced by another airline, you can choose between a refund and alternative transport. The details are governed by the air passenger rights regulation 261/2004.

Outside Europe the list does not apply legally. The Commission does point out, however, that it also serves as a source of information for travelers in other parts of the world, for example before domestic or regional flights.

What the list means for spotters

For the hobby, the air safety list has very practical consequences. It explains why some airlines in your collection can be had almost only on trips outside Europe, and why individual sightings in Europe cause such a stir.

• You almost never see Annex A airlines in Europe with their own aircraft. If you do, there is almost always an exception behind it: a wet lease, a ferry flight to a shipyard, a cargo or special flight with its own authorization.
• State flights are not covered by the list. It applies to commercial air carriers. Government aircraft of a listed country can therefore turn up during state visits – a classic case for the alert at your home airport.
• Annex B airlines are predictable. Anyone who knows which types and registrations are permitted also knows which aircraft come into question at all.
• Removals open new opportunities. If a country comes off the list, new connections to Europe can arise – with airlines that many spotters have never had on their list.

How to put such rarities in perspective is described in the article How rare is my sighting?. And if you collect airlines systematically, the guide Collecting airlines helps you build your list. For spotting trips to countries whose airlines are banned here, it is worth taking a look beforehand at Spotting abroad – the rules at the fence are often much stricter there.

What to keep in mind

• Only the current version counts. The annex of the most recent implementing regulation is binding. Lists in forums or old articles can be outdated.
• The airline counts, not the aircraft type. A ban attaches to the air carrier and its AOC, not to the registration or origin of the aircraft.
• Separate safety and politics. Whether an airline is missing because of deficiencies or because of sanctions makes a big difference for the future – safety bans can fall after reforms, sanctions depend on the political situation.
• Don’t judge too quickly. If a whole country is on the list, the problem often lies with the authority. That alone says little about individual airlines.

Conclusion

The EU air safety list is one of the most effective tools of European aviation oversight. It bans airlines that do not meet international safety standards, and whole countries whose authorities do not have their oversight under control. Annex A means a complete ban, Annex B flying under conditions. The list changes several times a year, is based solely on safety criteria and has to be kept strictly separate from sanctions. For travelers it secures information and refund rights, for spotters it explains why some airlines remain a real rarity in Europe.