European Commission lifts all restrictions on flights to EU countries from Kazakhstan

ASTANA: The European Commission has lifted all restrictions on flights to EU countries from Kazakhstan, Trend reports. Meanwhile, it became known after the meeting of the Committee on Flight Safety of the European Commission with the participation of representatives of aviation authorities from 27 countries of the European Union (EU). During the meeting of the Committee, the delegation of aviation authorities of Kazakhstan, headed by Vice Minister of Transport Talgat Lastaev, discussed the current state of affairs regarding flight safety in the country. With the assistance of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Belgium, during the committee meeting, the Kazakh delegation presented the actions taken to eliminate previously identified comments, which were positively assessed by the European Commission. According to the decision of the committee meeting, adopted by the 27 EU member states, given the significant progress in ensuring flight safety, all restrictions on flights to the European Union countries were lift ed by Kazakhstan and Kazakhstani carriers. In his letter dated May 30, 2024, Filip Cornelis, Director of the Aviation Department of the Directorate General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission, notes that 'the European Commission has decided to complete the enhanced monitoring of Kazakhstan's activities'. This meeting of the committee was preceded by a great deal of work carried out since 2009, as well as a successful technical assessment of the functioning of the flight safety system by the aviation authorities of Kazakhstan in February 2024 by EU experts. Furthermore, it should be mentioned that in 2022, there was a high risk of Kazakhstani airlines being blacklisted by the European Commission. Generally, EU experts note significant improvements in the effective functioning of the system of certification, control, and supervision in the field of flight operations, maintenance of airworthiness, training, and licensing of aviation personnel. During the period of monitoring of Kazakhstan from 2021 by the European Commission, the new model of functioning of aviation authorities in the country shows positive dynamics of development and effective establishment, which also creates favorable conditions for the development of domestic air carriers, which do not have any restrictions for flights to Europe. Based on information from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Commission, Kazakhstan is a successful example of civil aviation governance reform. Source: Trend News Agency