EU under fire for banning Zambian airlines

LUSAKA: The European Union (EU) has come under heavy criticism on its decision to ban Zambian-registered airlines from flying into the euro zone due to an alleged safety concern, the Times of Zambia reported on Thursday.

The Aircraft Owners and Operators Association (AOOA) of Zambia said in a statement that the "blacklisting of Zambia aircrafts" from entering the EU flying zone was "unjustified and high-handed. "

The AOOA said the "damage done" by the adverse publicity on the ban had continued to threatened Zambia's fragile but positive economic prospects, adding that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recently posted a significant safety concern for Zambia.

According to the statement, it was unfortunate that the EU blacklisted Zambia's aviation sector without "attempting to assess "its performance.

"Unfortunately, this adverse publicity is peppered with inaccuracies and potentially libelous statements to the extent that Zambia's AOOA has been moved to issue this statement to clarify the position in Zambia," Times quoted the statement as saying.

The EU's blacklisting of Zambian aviation means that EU travel agencies have been advised not to book their clients on any Zambia- registered aircraft, Times said.