France removes Mozambique airline from blacklist

France has removed Mozambique’s national carrier from a blacklist of airlines prohibited from using its airports, aviation officials said on Tuesday.

National Director of Civil Aviation Antonio Pinto welcomed the decision, saying the ban had hurt Linhas Aereas de Mocambique financially and damaged the country’s reputation abroad.

France published the blacklist in August in an attempt to allay fears about flying after a series of deadly crashes.

Mozambique protested the inclusion of Linhas Aereas de Mocambique, or LAM, saying the carrier had flown every week to Paris since the 1980s without incident. The two sides worked together to address France’s concerns, Pinto told reporters at a news briefing.

He said the ban was rescinded after investigators from the New York-based SH&E International Air Transport Consultancy conducted a safety audit in November and gave the carrier a clean bill of health.

LAM plans to resume flights to Paris as soon as possible, Pinto said.

France is also looking forward to a resumption of air links, according to a brief statement issued by its embassy in the Mozambique capital, Maputo.

However, the private Transairways carrier remains on the blacklist. - Sapa-AFP