The European Union maintains a list of airlines that, due to safety concerns, are restricted from flying to EU nations. If you think the list consists of a few, obscure airlines, think again. There are 278 banned airlines and this number changes each time the EU reviews its list.

The last update to the EU banned carriers list took place on 5 July. In that review much of the fleet of Iran Air's A320, B-747, and B-727 fleet was banned due to maintenance concerns. In some cases, nearly all airlines of an entire nation have been banned, as was recently the case with Indonesian carriers until Metro Batavia and Indonesia Air Asia were taken off the banned list. But in the case of the Philippines, no airline from that nation is currently allowed to operate over EU airspace.

Developing regions have the most difficulty getting approval to access EU airspace. Airlines in Africa and Eurasia are the most affected as their emerging airline industries often reveal many safety shortcomings. These concerns include the airlines' inability to provide satisfactory documentation and evidence that mechanical and other safety issues have been satisfactorily addressed. It does not necessarily indict all carriers as being outwardly unsafe. Agencies in these regions are working with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other authorities to establish safety standards that are in line with regions with more highly developed airline industries and safety guidelines.

In addition to keeping the skies over Europe safer, the banned-airline list also assists travelers in determining the risk of flying on one of these airlines. It also gives businesses a way to guide their employees about their choices when traveling to a region with limited airline availability.

According to the EU, there are four carriers whose operations are fully banned in the European Union: Ariana Afghan Airlines from Afghanistan, Blue Wing Airlines from Surinam, Siem reap Airways International from Cambodia and Silverback Cargo Freighters from Rwanda. All carriers from 17 countries – 278 companies in total – are banned: Angola, Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon (with the exception of three carriers which operate under restrictions and conditions), Indonesia (with the exception of six carriers from which the restrictions have been fully removed), Kazakhstan (with the exception of one carrier which operates under restrictions and conditions), the Kyrgyz Republic, Liberia, Philippines, Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, Swaziland and Zambia. There are 9 air carriers allowed to operate under restrictions and conditions: Air Koryo from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, TAAG Angola Airlines, Air Astana from Kazakhstan, Iran Air from Iran, Gabon Airlines, Afrijet and SN2AG from Gabon, Air Service Comores and Ukrainian Mediterranean Airlines from Ukraine.

The EU maintains the list of banned carriers online.