EU to check plane safety

All planes operated by companies outside the EU landing or taking off from Europe will be subject to safety checks from 2009, Le Figaro reports.

The European air safety agency based in Cologne will extend its powers over foreign carriers from next year in a bid to clamp down on potentially dangerous flights.

The agency will have the right to assess carriers for their pilot training and plane maintenance before giving them the green light to fly into Europe, although the paper notes that most carriers already meet the standards set by the agency.

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