EU Promises Tougher Airliner Checks

Safety checks will be stepped up on European Union registered jetliners in the wake of the August 20 Spanair MD-82 crash at Madrid's Barajas airport that killed 154 people, says the EU's transport commissioner. In a speech before the EU Parliament, Antonio Tajani said the Transport Commission plans "to look closely at some European airlines". He promised that a minimum number of annual inspections would be made in each Member State and that checks on Europe's airline would be tightened up. Tajani said the Air Safety Committee is to meet on Nov. 5 to update the so-called airline blacklist and he confirmed that inspections of Community airlines will be beefed up. At present none of the banned companies on the blacklist is European.