The European Union has released its latest review of the EU list of banned carriers. The list was established to assist European Union member states in identifying the level of oversight undertaken by a country’s civil aviation regulator and ensuring that the airlines under its oversight, adhere to internationally recognised safety standards. There have been no major amendments to the list, with the exception of all Libyan airlines, which have now been placed on the ban list due to the recent civil conflict and political unrest within Libya. As a consequence, all Libyan airlines are now banned from operating within European airspace until the regulator, or individual airlines, can demonstrate that they adhere to internationally recognised safety standards.

South Korean operator, Asiana Airlines, has been ordered by the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, to suspend operations to San Francisco as a penalty for its undershoot and tail-strike accident at San Francisco International Airport in July 2013. The ministry noted that this punitive action was undertaken due to the final investigation report determining that deficiencies in Asiana’s operations were the primary contributory factors that lead to the accident. The airline does have the option of determining when the ban will commence, which will most likely be aligned with the off-peak season.

Etihad Airways has received regulatory approval from the European Commission for its 49% share acquisition of Alitalia. In 2013, after consecutive years of poor financial performance, Alitalia began seeking investors to aid the airline’s financial and operational recovery. After several months of due diligence had been completed, Etihad Airways and Alitalia agreed on a 49% share acquisition by Etihad. This agreement was then subjected to regulatory review, to ensure that the merger complied with European regulations on competition. While the two airlines were required to undertake several minor concessions as a part of their proposed merger, the EC ultimately determined that the merger adhered to all of the required regulations and was subsequently cleared. The two airlines will now initiate their strategic partnership, which will involve larger-scale fleet and network adjustments for Alitalia.