By Ebi Kesiena
The European Commission has imposed a blanket ban on all Tanzanian airlines, citing serious safety concerns and regulatory shortcomings.
Following an extensive assessment, EU aviation safety experts found that Tanzania’s civil aviation authorities failed to ensure compliance with international safety standards.
“All air carriers certified in Suriname and Tanzania have been included on the list and can no longer operate in the EU,” the Commission said in a notice.
The Commission’s review uncovered deficiencies in both operational and regulatory oversight.
“These include a shortage of qualified personnel, ineffective oversight processes in flight operations and airworthiness, and non-compliance with international safety standards by both countries’ civil aviation authorities and certified air carriers”.
These concerns prompted the EU to extend its existing ban on Air Tanzania, which was blacklisted in late 2024, to all carriers from the African country.
Tanzania joins 16 other states whose airlines face outright bans due to inadequate safety oversight.
The latest EU Air Safety List update brings the total number of banned airlines to 169, including 142 carriers from 17 states and 22 airlines from Russia.
