Written by By Rosanna Harnisch, CNN
The European Union has issued a fresh decision barring international airlines from flying over central Africa due to concerns over new models of the carbon dioxide-emitting plane engines.
The measure was taken in response to the development of a COVID-19, the specific member state of which has not yet been made public. If implemented, the countries could see commercial flights over southern Africa at a significantly higher cost.
The EU announced that it will not be issuing new certificates for flights carrying passengers below the area covered by the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Only Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways and Rwandair have flights to international destinations over the country, according to data compiled by Thomson Reuters.
But the Congolese government released a statement Thursday, condemning the decision as “excessive interference with the economic interests of Congo.”
Congo is one of the countries that wanted the ICAO to address this specific issue.
While airlines have no way of knowing whether a particular engine model is legal, they must comply with the emissions standards on every single plane they take off from and land on.
In the case of the COVID-19 model, they will have to install devices to monitor their emissions without de-icing their planes at the destination.
Additionally, airlines have to redesign their planes — something most airlines already do — before they can get approval to fly through the new airspace.
The impact on travel might also change.
The ICAO had previously been seeking a solution to the COVID-19 issue, which would be implemented once all airlines have been issued with new certificates.
However, that moratorium has been suspended for now.
In a joint statement published Thursday, UK, EU and Israeli airlines said: “Any further delay to the adoption of the required certificates will put at risk the security and stability of civil aviation.”
Since 2015, the EU and its member states have enforced a ban on airline flights to the Suez Canal to avoid COVID-17, which is unclassified aircraft produced by General Electric and Rolls Royce .
Though the EU has yet to go as far as an outright ban, countries have reacted strongly against it, citing the economic consequences for their country.