Jaunted

Dangerous Travel

EU Blacklists Siem Reap Airways And Others

November 20, 2008 at 11:00 AM | 0 Comments

Siem Reap Airways is the division of Bangkok Airways used exclusively to carrier tourists to and from Angkor Wat, the famed religious complex we helped you navigate recently. The busy airline is now suffering some seriously bad publicity after the European Commission banned the airline from using EU airports. The reason? Inadequate compliance with international aviation safety standards. Yikes.

Since the airline only flies between Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap, the town adjacent to the Angkor ruins, it seems like the ban prohibiting the carrier from flying inside the EU is purely symbolic. But it also serves as a warning to travelers that the planes are considered sub-par. The commission also extended bans on Angolan carriers and two carriers from the Ukraine. All the more reason why land travel becomes more appealing with each passing economically-depressed day.

Related Stories:
· EU bans Siem Reap Airways [Reuters]
· Wats Up: Intro to Angkor [Jaunted]

[Photo: Taekwonweirdo]