Sorry Guys! Here is the story: Britain published a previously secret list of 11 airlines it has banned = from its airspace in the past three years, mostly on safety grounds, = following the crash of an Egyptian charter aircraft at the weekend. =20 The government decided to break with international practice in an = attempt to quell public concern over airline safety. The Swiss authorities = confirmed that Flash Airlines, the operator of the jet that crashed, had been = banned from serving the country in 2002 after failing inspections. The crash killed 148 people, mainly French tourists returning home from = a holiday in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The French authorities had = been aware of the Swiss ban but had give n the airline the all-clear in = October last year. There has been outcry among consumer groups and travel agents about the secrecy surrounding aviation safety in the wake of the crash. The results of safety inspections in Europe are held on a central = database that can be accessed by all 41 member states of the European Civil = Aviation Conference. But international av iation protocols dictate the identity = of airlines should be kept secret. Only the state that issues the ban can = name them. The British government on Thursday revealed that safety concerns had led = to the banning of seven of the 11 airlines from UK airspace in the past = three years. These included Star Air and Air Universal, both from Sierra Leone, = Central Air Express from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Enimex from = Estonia and Bulgaria's Inter Trans Air. An Egyptian cargo airline, Memphis Air, was also banned. The transport ministry said Flash Airlines had never sought to operate to the UK so = would never have been inspected. Britain has also imposed a blanket ban on airlines operating from four countries - Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia and Tajikistan - because = the respective national safety regulator s did not meet international = standards. "The UK has one of the most rigorous safety regimes in the world and = plays a leading role in seeking to raise international standards," said Tony McNulty, UK transport minister. Other European countries appear unlikely to follow the UK lead. The = German transport ministry said on Thursday the publication of banned airlines = would break its data protection laws. The Netherlands said it had no plans to publish the names. France is considering requiring travel agents to name = the airlines when booking passengers. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.548 / Virus Database: 341 - Release Date: 05/12/2003 =20