The airlines of Tanzania, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and those of 17 other states, have been blacklisted by the European Commission for security reasons. At the end of last year, Air Tanzania joined the list of other African carriers such as Air Zimbabwe, Congo Airways (RDC), Eritrean Airlines, Air Libya and Sudan Airways banned by the European Union from flying in their skies by the European Union

The European Commission has decided to ban all certified airlines in Tanzania — as well as Suriname — from operating in European Union airspace, citing serious safety concerns and regulatory failures.

This measure follows a thorough assessment by EU aviation safety experts, who concluded that the civil aviation authorities in both countries are not in a position to ensure compliance with international safety standards.

“All certified airlines in Tanzania and Suriname have been added to the blacklist and are no longer authorized to operate in the European Union”, the Commission says in an official notice.

The review identified significant operational and regulatory shortcomings. These include a shortage of qualified personnel, the ineffectiveness of mechanisms to supervise flight operations and continued airworthiness, and the non-compliance of civil aviation authorities and certified carriers with international safety standards

Already under a ban since the end of 2024, the national airline Air Tanzania is thus seeing the measure extended to the entire Tanzanian aviation sector.

With this decision, Tanzania joins a list of 16 other states whose carriers are under a total ban for inadequate safety supervision.