UK Air Safety List
Source: gov.uk (2025-10-31)

Read about the UK Air Safety List to check which countries and airlines cannot fly planes to, from or in the UK

The UK Air Safety List is the published list of countries and airlines that are subject to an operating ban on safety grounds and so cannot fly planes to, from or within the UK.

When choosing who to fly with, we advise you to take into consideration whether an airline is:
- on the Air Safety List
- certified in any of the countries on the list
You should also check foreign travel advice (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice) before you travel abroad.

Afghanistan

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Afghanistan are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Airlines include but are not limited to the following:
- Ariana Afghan Airlines
- Kam Air
Angola

Other than the exceptions listed below, all airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Angola are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Airlines include but are not limited to the following:
- Aerojet
- Air Jet
- Bestfly Aircraft
- Guicango
- Heliang
- Sjl
Permitted airlines within Angola

These airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Angola are exempt from the restrictions and are permitted to operate into, within or out of the airspace of the United Kingdom:

Taag-Linhas Aereas De Angola, S.A. dba Taag- Angola Airlines

Heli Malongo Aviacao e Servicos De Angola, LDA dba Heli-Malongo

Armenia

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Armenia are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Airlines include but are not limited to the following:
- Aircompany Armenia
- Armenia Airways
- Armenia Helicopters
- Atlantis Armenian Airlines
- Atlantis European Airways
- Mars Avia
- Skyball
Congo (Brazzaville)

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Congo (Brazzaville) are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Airlines include but are not limited to the following:
- Canadian Airways Congo
- Equaflight Services
- Equajet
- Societe Nouvelle Air Congo
- Trans Air Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Airlines include but are not limited to the following:
- Air Fast Congo
- Air Katanga
- Busy Bee Congo
- Compagnie Africaine D’Aviation (CAA)
- Congo Airways
- Kin Avia
- Malu Aviation
- Mwant Jet
- Serve Air Cargo
- Swala Aviation
Djibouti

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Djibouti are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Airlines include but are not limited to the following:
- Daallo Airlines
Equatorial Guinea

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Equatorial Guinea are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Airlines include but are not limited to the following:
- Ceiba Intercontinental
- Cronos Airlines
Eritrea

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Eritrea are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Airlines include but are not limited to the following:
- Eritrean Airlines
- Nasair Eritrea
Iran

Other than the exception listed below, the following airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Iran are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom:
- Iran Aseman Airlines
Permitted airlines

The following airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Iran are permitted to operate into, within or out of the United Kingdom:
- Iran Air, with the exception of their Fokker 100 and B747 aircraft which are banned
Iraq

The following airline certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Iraq is banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom:
- Iraqi Airways
Kyrgyzstan

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Kyrgyzstan are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Airlines include but are not limited to the following:
- Air Company Air Kg
- Air Manas
- Avia Traffic Company
- Sky Kg Airlines
- Tez Jet
Liberia

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Liberia are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom.

Libya

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Libya are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Airlines include but are not limited to the following:
- Afriqiyah Airways
- Air Libya
- Al Maha Aviation
- Buraq Air
- Global Aviation and Services
- Libyan Airlines
- Libyan Wings Airlines
- Petro Air
Nepal

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Nepal are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Airlines include but are not limited to the following:
- Air Dynasty Heli. S
- Altitude Air
- Buddha Air
- Fishtail Air
- Guna Airlines
- Heli Everest
- Himalaya Airlines
- Kailash Helicopter Services
- Makalu Air
- Manang Air Pvt
- Mountain Helicopters
- Mustang Helicopters
- Prabhu Helicopters
- Nepal Airlines Corporation
- Saurya Airlines
- Shree Airlines
- Simrik Air
- Sita Air
- Summit Air
- Tara Air
- Yeti Airlines
North Korea

Permitted airlines

The following airline certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of North Korea is permitted to operate into, within or out of the United Kingdom:
- Air Koryo when operating TU-204 aircraft with registration P-632 or P-633 - all other aircraft operated by Air Koryo are banned
The Russian Federation

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of The Russian Federation are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Airlines include but are not limited to the following:
- Airbridgecargo Airlines Limited Liability Company
- Air Company Aviacon Zitotrans
- Aircompany North-West Llc
- Air Company Sirius-Aero Ltd
- Air Company Sky Gates Airlines Llc
- Atran Llc
- Aviacompany Aviastar-Tu
- Azur Air Limited Liability Company
- Erofey Limited Liability Company
- Fsbi Aviation Rescue Company Of Emercom Of Russia
- Gazpromavia Aviation Company Limited
- Joint Stock Company Air Company Yakutia
- Joint Stock Company Air Management Group
- Joint Stock Company Alrosa Air Company
- Joint Stock Company Azimuth Airlines
- Joint-Stock Company Iraero Airlines
- Joint Stock Company Jet Air Group
- Joint Stock Company Nordstar Airlines
- Joint Stock Company Red Wings
- Joint Stock Company Royal Flight Airlines
- Joint Stock Company Rusjet
- Joint Stock Company Siberia Airlines
- Joint Stock Company Smartavia Airlines
- Joint Stock Company The 224-th Flight Unit State Airlines
- Joint Stock Company Ural Airlines
- Joint Stock Company Uvt Aero
- Js Aviation Company Rusline
- Jsc Yamal Airlines
- Limited Liability Company Aviaservis
- Limited Liability Company Aviation Technology Investment Service
- Llc Aircompany Ikar
- Llc Nord Wind
- Ltd I Fly
- Meridian Air Company
- Pobeda Airlines Limited Liability Company
- Rossiya Airlines Joint Stock Company
- Russian Airlines Aeroflot
- Severstal Aircompany Ltd
- Tulpar Air Ltd
- Turukhan Aviation
- Utair Aviation
- Utair Limited
- Volga Dnepr Airlines
São Tomé and Principe

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of São Tomé and Principe are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Airlines include but are not limited to the following:
- Africa’s Connection
- STP Airways
Sierra Leone

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Sierra Leone are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom.

Sudan

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Sudan are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Airlines include but are not limited to the following:
- Alfa Airlines Sd
- Badr Airlines
- Blue Bird Aviation
- Eldinder Aviation
- Green Flag Aviation
- Helejetic Air
- Kata Air Transport
- Kush Aviation
- Nova Airways
- Sudan Airways
- Sun Air
- Tarco Air
Suriname

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Suriname are banned from operating commercial air services to, from and within the United Kingdom.

Tanzania

All airlines certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Tanzania are banned from operating commercial air services to, from and within the United Kingdom.

Venezuela

The following airline certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Venezuela is banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom:
- Avior Airlines
Zimbabwe

The following airline certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Zimbabwe is banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom:
- Air Zimbabwe pvt
Why are countries or airlines on the UK Air Safety List?

The UK Air Safety List comprises of states and airlines that have failed to demonstrate that they meet relevant international safety standards to the best of the UK’s knowledge. They are therefore banned from operating into, out of or within the UK.

The UK Air Safety List is a legal responsibility of the Secretary of State for Transport which has been delegated to officials. The list is independently managed by the Department for Transport through the Air Safety Committee which reviews any states or airlines that may not be meeting internationally agreed safety standards. This process is done in consultation with aviation safety experts at the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

The UK adds countries or airlines to the Air Safety List where it:
- finds these standards are not met
- considers these pose a severe and ongoing risk to the safety of operations
The Air Safety List therefore has 3 key functions:
- protect British nationals wherever they are travelling in the world
- inform British nationals of aviation safety compliance so that consumers can make informed decisions
- deter poor safety performance of foreign airlines or states
The air safety list is routinely reviewed every 3 months, or by exception where required.

Advice to British nationals and consumers

Through the UK Air Safety List, it is hoped that British nationals will be able to make better informed decisions about their choice of airline before booking. This will help limit the exposure of British nationals to airlines with poor safety standards.

As a passenger, you have the right to know the identity of every airline that you are flying with during your trip. An airline is required to inform you of the identity of the operating airline or airlines when making a reservation and on your ticket.

You should check if the airline you are travelling on is safe. If the airline is listed on the UK Air Safety list, it means that:
- they are not compliant with minimum international safety standards
- the UK has determined it is an unsafe airline
You are recommended to not book or fly on a airline listed on the air safety list, for your safety.

How the air safety list interacts with third country operators approvals

To operate Commercial Air Transport operations to, from and within the UK, airlines require a UK issued third country operator (TCO) approval, issued by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

Whilst the TCO system operates as a separate system to the UK air safety list and is operated solely by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, decisions taken in relation to TCOs will also be considered as part of the UK air safety list process, where identified deficiencies are considered severe enough for air safety list consideration.

Why aviation safety matters

The UK government is committed to ensuring UK airspace and UK airlines are amongst the safest in the world and to improving the high safety standards in aviation. Civil aviation is highly regulated and monitored to help ensure the highest levels of safety and compliance with international safety standards. In addition, the UK’s State Safety Programme makes a commitment to protecting British nationals and reducing the likelihood of being involved in an accident anywhere in the world.

Legal disclaimer

The annex to regulation (EC) No 2111/2005 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2005/2111#:~:text=(5)%20An%20air%20carrier%20which,safety%20standards%20are%20complied%20with.) sets out the general criteria for consideration of an operating ban for safety related reasons. This regulation and annex has been retained in UK law. It should be noted that this criterion is not exhaustive, and additional safety considerations may be taken into account when making assessments and determinations in relation to the inclusion on or removal from the UK Air Safety List. All decisions are taken according to the merits of each individual case on the basis of available evidence and by reference to the relevant safety standards and considerations.

Additional information

Inclusion on the Air Safety List indicates that airlines and states do not meet internationally agreed safety standards, to the best of the UK’s knowledge.

Maximum effort has been made to verify the exact identity of all airlines in the UK Air Safety List. If a state has been banned, but not all airlines identified, it can be understood that all airlines certified in the state are banned from operating within the UK.

Airlines subject to an operating ban may be permitted to operate within the UK by using a wet-leased aircraft of an airline, which is not subject to an operating ban. This relies on the aircraft and associated airline complying with the relevant safety standards. The aircraft being used could be branded as if it is a fleet of a banned airline.