Cyprus may lose EU landing rights over safety issues

The commercial aviation industry in the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus has been under scrutiny ever since the crash of a Cypriot airliner in Greece a little over a year ago. All of the more than 100 souls aboard the Boeing 737 operated by Helios Airlines were lost in that accident, which occurred after a catastrophic loss of cabin pressure.

Now we learn from an article on the Aero-News Network that "all of civil aviation from the Republic of Cyprus, faces the possibility of being blacklisted by the European Union because of unresolved safety concerns."

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is now meeting in Poland and they are seriously considering the ban because nearly two thirds of their recommendations have not been implemented.

Last July, the European Commission sent a letter to Cyprus aviation authorities, asking that the shortcomings with air safety be urgently addressed. The Cypriot officials responded three weeks later, but their arguments were not considered satisfactory to the EASA.

The EASA "blacklist" currently includes some 90 airlines, but if this action is taken against Cyprus, it would be the first instance of a European country losing the right to land in other European countries.

Source: Cyprus May Lose European Landing Rights Aero-News.net

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