Air Transport

Revision of the blacklist will take place at least once every three months in order to establish whether further carriers should be added or existing entrants removed. Member states and EASA will need to communicate the necessary information for updating the list.

But the European Parliament adds: “The common blacklist does not preclude a member state from reacting to an unforeseen safety problem by introducing an immediate operating ban in respect of its own territory. Member states may also impose an operating ban on an air carrier not included on the list, in view of a safety problem specifically affecting that member state.”

The proposal, originally put forward in February this year, will also reinforce information rights by forcing tour operators and other air ticket sales representatives to disclose the identity of an operating carrier to passengers.

“Where the identity of the operating air carrier is not known at the time of reservation, the air carriage contractor should ensure that the passenger is informed as soon as such identity is established,” says the Parliament, adding that passengers should be updated at check-in or before boarding if this information changes.