The Civil Aviation Committee of the Republic of Armenia has extended Armenian Airlines’ air operator certificate (AOC) by 16 years, the carrier has announced.
In a statement on October 14, 2024, Armenian Airlines confirmed that the news was an “important achievement for the development of the company and the expansion of flight routes”.
Currently all operators certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Armenia, including Armenian Airlines, are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the European Union and the UK.
The EU banned Armenian Airlines from operating in its airspace in June 2020 over Armenia’s safety oversight capabilities.
“The decision to include the Armenian carriers on the EU Air Safety List has been made based on the unanimous opinion delivered by the Air Safety Committee. The Commission, with the assistance of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, stands ready to cooperate and invest in Armenia to improve its aviation safety,” the EU Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean said in 2020.
In September 2024, Armenia said that it had eliminated 40 of the 41 deficiencies identified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) which led to the EU ban.
On December 1, 2024, direct flights from Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, to Volgograd in Russia will start and on December 20, 2024, flights to Delhi in India will begin. Both new destinations will be served by the Airbus 321-200.
In its latest update, Armenian Airlines also confirmed that “new and interesting destinations are expected next year”.
Between October 14 and November 22, 2024, Armenian Airlines flights will be suspended for aircraft maintenance checks.
According to ch-aviation, Armenian Airlines currently operates a single 14-year-old Airbus 321-200 owned by Air Lease Corporation.
The Airbus 321-200 jet’s, registered EK-AAD, maiden commercial flight was for Asiana Airlines in December 2012.