KATHMANDU: The European Commission said that all Nepali airlines were still subject to an operating ban within the 27-nation bloc of the European Union.

In its updated air safety list made public in Brussels three days ago, the Europen Commission placed Nepal as one of the 18 nations, banning all 18 Nepali air carriers from flying into the EU after the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal failed to rectify safety shortcomings.

The European Commission had blacklisted Nepal, placing restrictions on Nepali airlines for the first time on December 5, 2013 after the International Civil Aviation Organisation designated the significant safety concerns about country’s aviation sector citing non-compliance of ICAO protocols in eight critical elements ranging from flight operations to air accident investigation.

Following the latest assessment which was made against international safety standards and notably the standards promulgated by ICAO, 193 airlines including all Nepali air carriers are banned from EU skies, according to the European Aviation Agency.

“An update of the air safety list is based on the unanimous opinion of the safety experts from the member states who met from November 22 to 24 within the EU Air Safety Committee,” it stated.

In a statement, the Commissioner for Transport at the European Commission Violeta Bulc said that the EU air safety list was one of their main instruments to continuously offer the highest level of air safety to Europeans.

“The EU air safety list not only helps to maintain high levels of safety in the EU, but it also helps affected countries to improve their levels of safety, in order for them to eventually be taken off the list.”

Announcing the removal of all air carriers from Kazakhstan from the safety list, Bulc said that this also was a positive signal for all the countries that remain on the list. “It shows that work and cooperation pay off. The Commission and the European Aviation Safety Agency are ready to assist.”

The EC has repeatedly made it clear that it is unlikely to remove Nepali airlines from its blacklist unless the ICAO clears the SSCs on Nepal.

ICAO in its recent safety audit report already mentioned that it found no change in the country’s three-year-old status as far as air accident investigation was concerned.

Stakeholders claimed that the list was a result of CAAN’s failure in part to provide the necessary safety oversight as foreseen by international aviation safety rules.

According to a regulation adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, an air carrier which is subject to an operating ban could be permitted to exercise traffic rights by using wet-leased aircraft of an air carrier which is not subject to an operating ban, provided that the relevant safety standards are complied with.

The EASC member states will hold next meeting in May-June, 2017 to update the air safety list.