The US aviation authority has put Croatia on a black list of countries whose airlines do not meet its safety standards.

The decision was made by the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) following its first assessment of Croatia.

The country was given a Category 2 rating – meaning a Croatian airline would not be permitted to operate to the US.

There are currently 18 countries with Category 2 status, including Swaziland, Uruguay, Indonesia and the Gambia.

Currently no airline operates between the two countries, and until Croatia achieves Category 1 status, its airlines are unable to commence transatlantic flights.

The ruling is unlikely to affect flights within Europe.

According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, those European carriers that have met the standards of their own country’s aviation authorities (which is based on International Civil Aviation Organization guidelines) may operate within the EU.

For airlines outside the EU, a ban is placed on those airlines considered unsafe and unable to enter European airspace. In many cases, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, the ban applies to all airlines operating in that country.

Croatia’s national carrier, Croatia Airlines, operates flights across Europe to destinations including London, Brussels and Rome. The carrier is a regional member of the Star Alliance, an airline network whose members include Lufthansa and Bmi.

The FAA decision does not affect the travel advice issued to US citizens by the US Department of State, although the department does refer to the FAA’s advice on country-specific air safety.

Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office makes no mention of the country’s airport infrastructure in its travel advice.

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