Why the EU is banning flights in its airspace

The criteria for the ban

The EU’s Air Safety List, managed by the European Commission (EC) with support from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), targets airlines and countries with deficient safety oversight.

Bans are imposed based on International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, focusing on; ineffective supervision by national aviation authorities, gaps in maintainance or failure to meet airworthiness directives, lack of certification from EASA’s Third Country Operators (TCO) by non-EU authorities, which assesses safety management, maintenance, and operational controls.

As of June 2025, 169 airlines are banned from EU skies: 142 from 17 countries with systemic oversight failures and 27 individual carriers, and 22 Russian airlines, due to specific safety irregularities.

What Tanzania's ban means

On Tuesday, June 3, the EC expanded its ban to all 34 Tanzanian-certified airlines, including ATCL, citing “serious deficiencies in national aviation oversight”,

While no Tanzanian airline currently operates in Europe, the ban derails ATCL’s plans to relaunch routes to London, Frankfurt, and Athens, stunting its long-haul ambitions to compete with carriers like Emirates.

The TCAA has responded swiftly to the ban, noting that the ban has “no operational impact” on current services, as Tanzanian airlines do not fly to the EU.

It also reassured travellers that Tanzanian skies are safe, citing a clean safety record and alignment with ICAO standards, The Citizen reports.

Impact on Tanzania’s aviation

The European Union’s June 4, 2025, ban on all Tanzanian-certified airlines, including Air Tanzania (ATCL), from EU airspace hampers ATCL’s plans to launch routes to London, Frankfurt, and Athens, costing $15–20 million annually in lost revenue.