EC bans two cargo airlines from Ghana over safety concerns

The European Commission (EC) today banned two airlines from Ghana.

The EC announced the ban in a press statement and airlines from other countries were included. There were carriers from 17 countries and 278 companies in total.

The two airlines from Ghana which are all cargo planes are Meridian Airways which has been fully banned and Airlift International which has restrictions placed on its operations.

According to the statement, “Meridian Airways from Ghana is included in the list of banned airlines as a consequence of a series of very poor results from inspections involving not only their aircraft but also facilities used by the airline in the EU.”

The publication of the list of banned passenger and cargo airlines to the EU is a routine exercise and this is done when the EU member countries do not find these airlines safe enough.

The EU’s updated list has five individual carriers whose operations are fully banned in the European Union – Afghanistan (Ariana Afghan Airlines), Surinam (Blue Wing Airlines), Ghana (Meridian Airways), Cambodia (Siem reap Airways International) and Rwanda (Silverback Cargo Freighters). All carriers from 17 countries – 278 companies in total – are banned: Angola, Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, (with the exception of three carriers which operate under restrictions and conditions), Indonesia (with the exception of six carriers from which the restrictions have been fully removed), Kazakhstan (with the exception of one carrier which operates under restrictions and conditions), the Kyrgyz Republic, Liberia, Philippines, Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, Swaziland and Zambia. There are ten carriers allowed to operate under restrictions and conditions – Kazakhstan (Air Astana); the Democratic People Republic of Korea (Air Koryo); Ghana (Airlift International); Comores (Air Service Comores); Gabon (Gabon Airlines, Afrijet and SN2AG); Iran (Iran Air); Angola (TAAG Angola Airlines); and Ukraine (Ukrainian Mediterranean Airlines).

Attempts by ghanabusinessnews.com to find out from the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority officials if they were aware of such a ban were unsuccessful. When we made a phone call, we were transferred from one office to the other, and at one point the line went dead.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi