ICAO rejects EU call for global airline blacklist

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The head of aviation body ICAO on Thursday rejected a proposal by European Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani to work on creating a global blacklist for unsafe airlines.

"I don't think this is the solution at the global level," Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez, president of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, told reporters when asked if he supported the idea.

Tajani last week said he would propose the creation of a global blacklist of unsafe airlines after it emerged that a Yemenia airliner that crashed near Comoros had previously raised safety concerns during European Union checks.

"Discouraging passengers from going on particular aircraft or particular airlines on certain routes will not necessarily reduce accidents," Gonzalez said.

"At present, I cannot be in favour of a world blacklist because I don't have a mandate from the states of ICAO to do this, but I fully agree with Commissioner Tajani we have to work together," Gonzalez said.

(Reporting by Pete Harrison; Editing by Dale Hudson)