UPDATE 1-Yemenia airline avoids EU blacklist despite crash

* Yemenia avoids EU blacklist after June crash

* Sao Tome identified as haven for airlines dodging ban

* Angola's TAAG improves, can extend operations to EU

(adds detail, background)

By Pete Harrison

BRUSSELS, Nov 27 (Reuters) - The European Union added all airlines from Djibouti, the Republic of Congo and Sao Tome and Principe to its airline safety blacklist on Friday, but Yemenia Yemen Airways avoided inclusion despite a fatal crash in June.

EU authorities threatened Yemenia with a ban if it failed to act after one of its airliners crashed in the Indian Ocean in June, killing all but one of the 153 passengers and crew on board.

"The efforts deployed by Yemenia to correct the identified safety deficiencies in the various audits are acknowledged," the European Commission said in a statement.