The European Union (EU) has removed the Philippines from its so-called blacklist of nations whose airlines may not fly into EU airspace. The decision removes the final remnants of an EU prohibition imposed in 2010. The EU relaxed the ban in 2013, when it removed Philippine Airlines from the list, and then again last year, when it allowed Cebu Air to return to European skies.

“After five years of hard work we are finally able to clear the airlines certified in the Philippines from the European Air Safety List,” said EU transport commissioner Violeta Bulc in a statement. “The Philippines is an important country with a sizeable and rapidly growing aviation sector. Today's result can serve as an example for other countries which have difficulty to match their safety oversight capabilities with the growth of their industry. I am also pleased to see that other countries made good progress too.”

In fact, the new list, published on June 25, does not include Thailand, despite mounting concerns about its failure to address shortcomings in regulatory oversight. The revised EU air safety list includes all airlines certified in 20 states and one individual airline, for a total of 232 airlines fully banned from EU skies. So-called operation restrictions extend to another eight airlines.

Concerns about a possible EU ban of Thai carriers gained traction after the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) slapped Thailand with a so-called red flag on June 18. That announcement came after the Thai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) failed to address significant safety concerns (SSC) within a 90-day window imposed by ICAO. Thailand subsequently saw ICAO dowgrade its safety rating to Category 2 from Category 1.

While Thai transport minister Prajin Juntong welcomed the EU’s decision, he also acknowledged that the DCA faced a long set of challenges in complying with international standards. Prajin said that authorities had identified three main problems: a delay in preparing aviation safety inspection manuals, a shortage of qualified personnel to carry out inspections of airlines, and a lack of personnel trained in line with ICAO’s requirements.

As a result, the Thai transport ministry gave the DCA until June 25 to improve safety certification for Thai-registered airlines. While Prajin noted that the department has approved aviation safety inspection manuals, he added that the DCA will ask ICAO to send experts to help train personnel with inspections and certification. Meanwhile, the U.S. FAA will come to Thailand in mid-July to launch its own inspections of aviation licensing and airport security

Since ICAO issued the red flag, national carrier Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways have moved to distance themselves from the SSC, insisting that they maintain the highest level of safety standards across all operations. On June 25, Thai Airways confirmed that it will continue to operate its regular schedule of flights to Europe, which includes 12 cities in 10 countries. The company’s president, Charamporn Jotikasthira, added that the airline has prepared a business continuity plan in the event of a major operational disruption.