Umoja wa Ulaya (EU) umetangaza kuzuia ndege za shirika la ndege la Air Tanzania kuingia katika anga la nchi wanachama wake, jumla ya nchi 28, kwa madai kuwa shirika hilo halijakidhi vigezo vya kimataifa vya usalama wa anga.
“Umoja wa Ulaya leo umesasisha orodha ya mashirika ya ndege yanayozuiwa kuingia au kuwekewa vikwazo vya kiutendaji ndani ya umoja huo,” inasema taarifa ambayo The Chanzo imeipata. “Air Tanzania sasa imeongezwa kwenye orodha hiyo.”
Sababu kuu ya kuijumuisha Air Tanzania, kwa mujibu wa taarifa hiyo, ni changamoto za kiusalama zilizobainishwa na Wakala wa Usalama wa Anga wa Umoja wa Ulaya (EASA). Kwa hatua hiyo, Air Tanzania imejiunga na mashirika mengine 129 yaliyopigwa marufuku, ikiwa ni pamoja na Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe), Avior Airlines (Venezuela), Blue Wing Airlines (Suriname), Iran Aseman Airlines (Iran), Fly Baghdad (Iraq), na Iraqi Airways (Iraq).
Kamishna wa Usafiri Endelevu na Utalii wa Umoja wa Ulaya, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, amesema EU iko tayari kushirikiana na Air Tanzania ili kusaidia shirika hilo kufikia viwango husika vya usalama. “Uamuzi wa kuijumuisha Air Tanzania kwenye Orodha ya Usalama wa Anga ya EU unatokana na dhamira yetu ya kuhakikisha viwango vya juu vya usalama kwa abiria barani Ulaya na duniani kote,” amesema Tzitzikostas.
“Tunatoa wito kwa Air Tanzania kuchukua hatua za haraka kurekebisha changamoto hizi. EU iko tayari kushirikiana na mamlaka za Tanzania kuboresha usalama wa ndege za Air Tanzania na kuhakikisha zinafikia viwango vya kimataifa,” ameongeza.
Tangu mwaka 2016, Tanzania imekuwa ikiboresha shirika lake la Air Tanzania kwa kununua ndege mpya, zikiwemo Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner mbili, Dash 8 Q400 tano, Airbus A220-300 nne, Boeing 767-300F ya mizigo moja, na Boeing 737 MAX 9 tatu. Air Tanzania imekuwa ikifanya safari katika maeneo 14 ya ndani ya nchi, nane ya kikanda, na matatu ya kimataifa—China, India, na Dubai.
Hata hivyo, tangazo hili la Umoja wa Ulaya linaweza kuwa changamoto mpya kwa shirika hilo, ambalo sasa linatarajiwa kuchukua hatua madhubuti kushughulikia masuala ya usalama wa anga.
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Commission updates EU Air Safety List and adds Air Tanzania to the airlines banned within the European Union
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The European Commission today updated the EU Air Safety List, the list of airlines that are subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the European Union, because they do not meet international safety standards. Ensuring the highest level of air safety for Europeans and all other travelling passengers is at the very heart of the Commission's aviation safety policy.
Following today's update, Air Tanzania has been included on the List. The basis for this decision is safety concerns identified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). These also led to the decision not to grant Air Tanzania a Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation.
Commissioner Tzitzikostas also welcomed EASA's positive decision on 29 November 2024 to lift the Third Country Operator (TCO) suspensions imposed on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Since the TCO Authorisation was suspended in 2020, PIA and the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) have made substantial progress in improving safety performance and oversight capabilities. PIA is now allowed to resume operations to the EU. Furthermore, Airblue Limited, another Pakistani airline has also received EASA's TCO Authorisation.
Following today's update, a total of 129 airlines are banned from EU skies:
100 airlines certified in 15 States, due to inadequate safety oversight by the aviation authorities from these States;
22 airlines certified in Russia, as well as 7 individual airlines from other States, based on serious safety deficiencies identified: Air Tanzania (Tanzania), Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe), Avior Airlines (Venezuela), Blue Wing Airlines (Suriname), Iran Aseman Airlines (Iran), Fly Baghdad (Iraq) and Iraqi Airways (Iraq).
Two additional airlines are subject to operational restrictions and can only fly to the EU with specific aircraft types: Iran Air (Iran) and Air Koryo (North Korea).
Background
Today's update to the EU Air Safety List is based on the unanimous opinion of Member State aviation safety experts, who met in Brussels on 19 to 21 November 2024 under the auspices of the EU Air Safety Committee. This Committee is chaired by the European Commission with support from EASA. The European Parliament's Transport Committee also supports the update. Decisions under the EU Air Safety List are based on international safety standards, and notably the standards decreed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
EU COMMISSION