Armenia’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure reports substantial progress in addressing safety issues that have placed Armenian airlines on the European Union’s “blacklist.” By December 2023, all identified violations are expected to be fully resolved.
Armenia is now close to resuming flights by its airlines to EU countries, according to Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan. He stated that out of 41 identified safety issues, 40 have already been resolved.
A major hurdle, as noted by the minister, was a shortage of aviation inspectors. This issue is partially addressed, with several specialists currently undergoing necessary retraining expected to conclude by mid-December, leaving this as the final outstanding issue.
The Armenian side has already initiated dialogue with European partners to draft a concrete action plan for removing Armenian airlines from the “blacklist.” A video conference is scheduled for November 13, during which a detailed roadmap to resolve the situation will be developed.
In 2020, the European Commission included all Armenian-certified airlines on its EU Air Safety List, effectively prohibiting them from operating flights to EU countries, with exceptions only for evacuation, humanitarian, and medical flights. This decision followed hearings involving the Armenian Civil Aviation Committee and six Armenian carriers.
Meanwhile, steady progress has been made in resolving safety issues. In October last year, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Armen Simonyan reported that 30 violations had been addressed, and in January 2023, he forecasted a possible removal of Armenian airlines from the blacklist within the next two years.
