EU ban on airlines registered in Armenia is technical process, not political, says Commissioner
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Airlines registered in Armenia remain blacklisted by the EU due to a technical, not political, issue, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has said.
“This is a technical process, not a political one, and it is in the hands of the Air Safety Committee of the European Union,” the commissioner told Armenian reporters in Brussels when asked about updates regarding the EU air safety list, which has banned Armenian carriers from EU airspace.
“And based on the evaluation they have done, there are some things that Armenia has to do and we are in contact with the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia and as long as all what needs to be done is not done, the decision is not made yet. So once again, it is a technical process, it has nothing to do with the political relations of the country, we just want to be sure that on the safety line everything will be okay and therefore we have offered special help in the twinning process, which will then be financed. This is a special instrument that the experts from our member states who have experiences on this field are helping your government on this.”
Airlines registered in Armenia have been included on the European Union's "blacklist" since June 2020, which restricts Armenian air carriers from entering EU airspace. The EU’s executive body, the European Commission, blacklisted them in June 2020 after assessing the country’s “safety oversight capabilities.”
Armenian authorities have been working for years to lift this restriction and ensure compliance with international standards.
In March 2025, Armenian authorities announced that 41 deficiencies identified during an audit conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have been addressed, and an official application regarding the completed work has already been submitted to the European Union to be removed from the so-called blacklist.