EU Bans All 51 Indonesian Airlines

Recent attempts by Indonesia to ground some few of its airlines and applaud others for their safety improvements haven't washed with the European Commission. The EU has now black-banned all 51 Indonesian airlines. However currently, no airline from that country has scheduled flights to any European destination. The national flag-carrier Garuda ceased serving Amsterdam and Rome in 2005. Prior to this latest announcement, the EU had banned a total of 91 airlines - including 74 from Africa - from entering its air space. Indonesian airlines have been hit by a string of accidents this year, leading the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority in April to downgrade the country's rating from its lowest category. In Jakarta, Budhi Suyitno Mulyawan, Indonesia's top civil aviation official at the Transport Ministry, said the European Commission had not seen the country's latest data on airline safety. "We were late in delivering the latest data to the European Commission, but we will bring the latest findings - which show Indonesia's airlines are getting better now - to the meeting of the EC in October," he said. Garuda has had plans to resume services to Amsterdam in 2008. Related Links