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European Commission limits Iran Air

By the CNN Wire Staff
A file photo of an Iran Air plane at Paris-Orly airport dated May 18, 2010.
A file photo of an Iran Air plane at Paris-Orly airport dated May 18, 2010.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • National carrier Iran Air further restricted in Europe
  • Safety reasons cited for bans on certain types of aircraft
  • Carrier from Suriname, Blue Wing Airlines, also banned
RELATED TOPICS
  • Europe
  • Iran

(CNN) -- Citing air safety, the European Commission Tuesday expanded restrictions on Iran Air's operations by banning more types of aircraft.

The commission banned Iran Air from flying its fleet of Airbus A-320 and of Boeing B-727 and B-747 planes into European airports. It said it would continue to monitor Iran Air and work with the airline to improve standards.

"We cannot afford to compromise on air safety," said Siim Kallas, the commission's vice president.

The commission also banned a carrier from Suriname and removed two Indonesian airlines from its banned list. The Suriname carrier, Blue Wing Airlines, was banned because of a series of accidents and "serious deficiencies revealed during ramp inspections of its aircraft."

Three other carriers are banned from operating in the European Union: Ariana Afghan Airlines from Afghanistan, Siem reap Airways International from Cambodia and Silverback Cargo Freighters from Rwanda.

All carriers from 17 countries -- 278 companies in total -- are also banned: Angola, Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon (except three carriers with restrictions), Indonesia (except six carriers from which the restrictions have been fully removed), Kazakhstan (except one restricted carrier), Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Philippines, Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, Swaziland and Zambia.