Safi Airways, a privately-owned airline based in Afghanistan, has been forced to suspend its Frankfurt-Kabul route with effect from January 10, 2011.
The suspension is the result of an EU ban preventing the entry of Afghan registered aircraft into EU airspace.
The airline has fiercely contested the ban, saying that it is fully ICAO compliant and follows international safety standards
Hamid Safi, executive director of the airline, said: “We are evaluating all the options available to us, including applying for a new AOC in a different country.
“As this of course takes time and we need to be fair to our customers and remove any uncertainty, we came to the decision, albeit reluctantly, to suspend our service between Frankfurt and Kabul for the time being.
“We are working hard now to find a more permanent solution to this problem and we will keep you updated as we progress. We also wish to remind our customers that Safi Airways flies twice daily from Dubai to Kabul and return.”
In previous statements, the airline has said it may try to acquire a European carrier in order to become exempt from the ban.