BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – The European Commission added 21 Russian airlines on Monday to a list that prohibits them from operating within the bloc of 27 nations. This was because the Russian carriers do not comply with international safety standards.

Adina Valean, Commissioner for Transport said that the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency allowed Russian airlines access to hundreds of aircraft owned by foreigners without having to obtain a certificate of airworthiness.

The Russian airlines involved have known that they were in violation of international safety standards. “This…poses an immediate danger to safety,” she stated.

Aeroflot was also banned from Russia by Aeroflot. She stated that this ban is not an additional sanction for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. It was a technical and safety-related decision.

After the addition of 21 Russian airlines to their EU blacklist, the Commission stated that the EU blacklist now includes 117 companies.