He said pilots holding citizenship of Kyrgyzstan and domestic licenses are already working for Turkish Airlines, Japanese airlines, and other international carriers, which demonstrates the level of their training.

«Personnel is one of the European Union’s key concerns. Since we were removed from the blacklist, it means we proved that the licenses we issue to pilots and training centers comply with international flight safety standards. Our pilots are qualified at the same level as European pilots. If their qualifications were lower or if they had studied at uncertified centers, we would not have been removed from the EU aviation blacklist,» Bostonov said.

He added that there is no longer any Soviet-era aircraft in Kyrgyzstan’s civil aviation fleet — only European and US-made aircraft (Airbus and Boeing models).

«Aircraft undergo constant maintenance, not in Kyrgyzstan but in the European Union and other international technical centers. The international audit showed that the technical condition of our aircraft and oversight mechanisms are in proper order,» he concluded.

Kyrgyzstan has been removed from the European Union aviation blacklist for the first time in 20 years, allowing domestic carriers to operate flights to Europe.