Cablegate: France Publishes Aviation Blacklist

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS PARIS 005824

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EB/TRA, EUR/WE
BRUSSELS FOR FAA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR FR
SUBJECT: FRANCE PUBLISHES AVIATION BLACKLIST

1. (U) In response to highly publicized recent plane
accidents, on August 28 the French Civil Aviation Authority
(DGAC) published via internet its "blacklist" of companies
that are forbidden to operate in France, as transportation
minister Dominique Perben promised last week. The companies
on the list are: Korea: Air Koryo, U.S.: Air Saint-Thomas,
Liberia: International Air Services, Mozambique: Lineas Aer
de Mozambique, and Thailand: Phuket Airlines.

2. The list may be consulted at:
http://www.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/html
/oservice/listeinternetcompaninterdites.pdf.

3. (U) In an interview published in "Le Monde" dated August
26, Perben also said France would exercise "greater rigor"
toward states that fail to meet international safety norms,
and would publish a list of countries whose companies would
be forbidden to operate in France. Though France intended to
continue to work with norms established by ICAO, he warned
that if problem states did not improve their records of
inspecting aircraft and training pilots, France would add
them to its blacklist and notify other states and ICAO of its
findings.

4. (U) Perben also referred to complementary proposals to
increase consumer confidence in airline safety, notably the
"blue label" airline quality labeling scheme that his
predecessor put forward in the wake of the Flash Air crash in
Sharm-el-Sheikh in January 2004, and a regulation requiring
tour operators to inform customers of the names of companies
furnishing transport that he said would be issued later this
year.

5. (U) Comment: High-profile accidents involving large
numbers of French nationals, including those in
Sharm-el-Sheik and Venezuela, have generated substantial
media coverage and growing public concern about airline
safety in France. The publication of the DGAC's blacklist is
the first step in what promises to be a series of measures
intended to increase public confidence in the reliability and
transparency of France's air safety programs. How they will
be co-ordinated with the EU's upcoming blacklist as well as
the European Civil Aviation Conference's Safety Action Plan
(adopted August 29) remains to be seen. End comment.
STAPLETON

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