EU bans Surinamese flights over Aviation safety concerns

Suriname: The European Commission has announced publicly that any flight operating under certification of Suriname will not be granted access to the European airspace for the time being. This was announced after it was being said that flights from Suriname does not meet the certification criteria as listed in the EU Air Safety list.  

According to this new announcement, the national airlines Suriname Airways (SLM) which had regular service to Netherlands will stop operating to the country. This decision has notably been taken due to the ongoing concerns about the aviation safety and supervision by the Surinamese authorities.  

The European Commission has also stated that the Surinamese aviation authority has failed to supervise according to ICAO’s international standards, which further endangers passengers and the wider aviation safety.  

This also marks a major setback for the Surinamese aviation sector, as this is the first time that all the certified companies from the company have been banned from being operated in the EU all at once. This measure will also affect companies that have expanded themselves to other nations by announcing flights operating via Europe.  

European Transport Commissioner shed light on the decision  

According to the European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean, he stressed that the safety of passengers is paramount in their decision to hold the flights. She said that they don’t want to make any concessions when it comes to international aviation safety. She also emphasized that the countries will be removed immediately from the list once they meet the standards required by ICAO and EASA.  

Ban to affect Surinamese travellers 

This ban will significantly impact travellers from Suriname who were about to visit Europe as they will now have to opt for international companies or indirect or relatively longer flights in future. This also pushes the government to implement to invest more in the aviation sector and build a trustworthy air transport network.  

However, no official statement has yet been released by the authorities of Suriname in response to the ban on their flights. This also has to be noted that Surinamese airline Blue Wings Airlines has been on the EU list since 2010 due to multiple fatal accidents. Since then, the airline has not been allowed to enter the European airspace and the same has been implemented on other Surinamese flights as well.