Indonesian airlines OKed by EU

Two Indonesian airlines and one carrier from Gabon will be able to fly to Europe following the latest update of the European Commission's banned airline list on July 7.

Metro Batavia, Indonesia Air Asia and Afrijet, which were all previously banned from flying to EU airports or through EU airspace, will now be allowed to operate in the region.

However, Surinamese carrier Blue Wing Airlines will no longer be allowed, following "serious deficiencies" in inspections of its aircraft.

Several types of jets belonging to Iran Air, which reportedly faced fuelling problems in Britain and Germany last week due to US sanctions against Iran, have also been banned from flying to the EU.

In total, all carriers from 17 countries and a further four individual carriers from other nations are banned from operating in Europe, with EU transport vice-president Siim Kallas saying "we must act to guarantee safe skies for our citizens when they travel."

The list is updated quarterly as officials working with local aviation authorities and conducting inspections of aircraft determine which countries - or individual airlines - should be included.

Europe's no-fly blacklist:
All aircraft from:

Angola
Benin
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)
Kyrgyz Republic
Liberia
Philippines
Republic of Congo
Sierra Leone
Sao Tome and Principe
Sudan
Swaziland
Zambia