EU bans all Tanzanian aircraft over safety concerns » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 6 — The European Union has barred all air carriers certified in Tanzania, including flag carrier Air Tanzania, from operating in its airspace, citing serious safety deficiencies uncovered in both operational and regulatory areas.

The sweeping ban, announced on Tuesday by the European Commission, follows an update to the EU Air Safety List, which now includes all Tanzanian and Surinamese airlines.

The ban affects thirty-five Tanzanian air operators and comes after a comprehensive safety assessment led by EU aviation experts.

Their findings revealed systemic weaknesses within Tanzania’s civil aviation oversight, including a shortage of qualified personnel, ineffective enforcement of flight operations and airworthiness standards, and repeated non-compliance with international aviation safety norms.

“Ensuring the highest level of air safety for all passengers remains our top priority,” the Commission stated, emphasizing that the decision was based on technical and regulatory evaluations rather than political considerations.

Air Tanzania, is now prohibited from flying to any EU member state, a major blow to the carrier’s ambitions of expanding its global reach.

EU said Member State aviation safety experts unanimously agreed on the ban during a meeting held in Brussels between 13 and 15 May 2025, under the EU Air Safety Committee, which operates with support from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Tanzania now joins a list of seventeen countries whose aviation oversight is deemed inadequate, with 142 airlines globally banned for regulatory failings.

An additional twenty-seven airlines, including twenty-two Russian carriers and five others from Venezuela, Iran, Zimbabwe, and Iraq, are also listed due to specific safety deficiencies.

Tanzania is required to address the outlined safety shortcomings if they are to regain access to the EU airspace in the future.