Thursday, September 08, 2005

Tighter control over aircraft safety in Spain

According to reports in government-friendly sectors of the Spanish press, Rodriguez Zapatero's government plans to increase the number of inspections carried out on the airlines operating in Spain. This Summer more than 500 passengers have died in aeroplane crashes around the World. Most of the recent accidents have occurred with low-cost airlines.

The government plans to increase the number of safety controls carried out on foreign aircraft from 55 (the number stipulated by the previous government) to 3,350. The controls themselves will be more detailed, based on European safety lines and the recommendations of a new panel of experts on air safety to be set up by the Transport Ministry. The number of controls carried out on planes belonging to Spanish companies will also be increased.

Last month the Spanish government said it did not intend to follow the example of France, Belgium and Switzerland in publishing a blacklist of airlines banned from using their airports, in an attempt to allay public fears about flying, preferring instead to wait until the European Commission publishes it blacklist at the end of the year. In August The EU transport commissioner, Jacques Barrot, promised that by October the EU Transport Commission would have a proposal for a public website for passengers and for more information sharing by European air safety authorities.

The British government offers information on airlines banned from using airports in the UK here.

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