Angolan national airline TAAG has been removed from the European Union (EU) blacklist and is now authorised to fly to all EU countries as well as Portugal, which was the only one where it had been permitted to fly, the airline said in a statement issued in Luanda.

“TAAG received approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency and is now free to apply for any commercial license to operate in any of the Member States of the European Union and is at the same level as any major foreign airline to fly for Europe,” the statement said.

The company was put on the so-called EU blacklist in July 2007 and despite successive community audits only in 2009 obtained authorisation to start test flights to Portugal (first to Lisbon and then also to Porto), after the agreements signed between the civil aviation authorities of the two countries.

In a statement, the company, which is owned by the Angolan State, said that the decision of the European Union is the result of “a process of inspection and audit” carried out “at the beginning of the year” making it possible to approve “that all kinds of aircraft owned by TAAG can fly into the airspace and territory of the Member States. ”

Despite the announcement made by TAAG, the European Union has made no statement on the issue, with 227 airlines banned from flying in the European Union area and eight with restricted activity, according to the latest update, which was made at the end of 2015. (macauhub/AO)