When the European Commission issued its first list of banned airlines in March this year, it signalled that inspections would continue and the blacklist would be updated quarterly. It has carried through with this, adding further carriers, lifting the ban on one (because it no longer operates the cargo services which triggered the restriction) and making some further changes.

While some operators screamed loudly when they appeared on the inaugural list, few have made any effort to tidy up their act.

The updated blacklist attracted only muted complaints. The general feeling is that, even if some of the restrictions are more of a blanket than specific targeting, the bans have been to the wider benefit of those who could be adversely affected by a crash.

Of course, the ban does not apply in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose ill-regulated and poorly maintained fleet is totally unwelcome in the European Union but still drops out of the sky from time to time at home.

In its blacklist update, the commission noted that Congolese aviation authorities - like their counterparts in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Swaziland — had not bothered to provide any evidence of meeting their regulatory responsibilities to ensure carriers were up to scratch or grounded. All aircraft on these countries’ registers are unwelcome in the EU.

Equatorial Guinea has, the update noted, made real efforts to comply but had advised that "full implementation of this corrective plan will require additional time" — and so that country’s aircraft remain banned until a later date.

However, a European inspection visit established that companies based in Mauritania need not be subject to the ban.

Of the three new individual operators added to the list, one - Air West - is still allowed to operate a single Il-76 freighter (ST-EWX) in Europe. Based in Khartoum, Sudan, Air West operates domestic passenger and cargo services as well as international cargo charters. An Il-76 freighter operated by Air West crashed in Sudan in February last year, killing all seven crew.

The others are Blue Wing, which operates primarily within Surinam and passenger carrier Sky Gate International which is more or less Jordan-based but whose L-1011 aircraft are registered in Kyrgyzstan. Star Jet, based in Kyrgyzstan, was also added because it turns out to be the same company as Star Air, operating from Sierra Leone and already on the blacklist.

Kazakhstan-based GST Aero, an all-cargo operator whose fleet is often in action on humanitarian contracts, was retained on the blacklist despite regulatory authorities providing a list of three aircraft with valid certificates of airworthiness and equipped with the necessary safety equipment. EC inspectors felt there was much more to be done before giving this operator a green light.

But the thumbs were up for Libya’s Buraq Air, which had been subject to operational restrictions on its cargo activities. It was withdrawn, said the update, "as it no longer carries out this type of activity".

The EC believes the blacklist is having a positive effect. "The list has proved to be an effective incentive, with a number of countries and companies that had taken either no action or only inadequate action in response to national bans agreeing to co-operate with the commission in correcting the security problems identified."

Resources were being made available to help countries struggling with the regulatory problem, it noted. And the blacklist has been well supported by other international bodies.