Venezuelan airline barred from EU skies

Venezuela's Avior Airlines has been banned from EU skies after a commission determined it no longer meets international safety standards, another blow to troubled nation's already beleaguered flight industry. The EC announced Thursday that Avior had been added to a list of international airlines prohibited from flying within the union because the European Aviation Safety Agency detected "unaddressed safety deficiencies." No further details were provided. The Venezuelan airline is one of a handful still offering international flight destinations as major carriers like United and Delta halt operations in the crisis-ridden nation. Air carriers have cited financial and safety concerns as reasons for suspending service. An Avior flight made an emergency landing in Ecuador earlier this month after passengers described seeing fire and smelling smoke. Videos posted on social media showed nervous passengers wearing deployed oxygen masks. "We thought it was our final moments," one passenger said. Avior operates flights within Venezuela, throughout Latin America and to Miami, Florida, and lists an office location in Madrid on its website.<br/>