Bulgarian aviation failed meeting EU safety standards and would probably be 'put into quarantine' when Bulgaria enters the EU on January 1 2007, Financial Times (FT) said.
EU aviation inspectors found omissions in safety procedures, FT said.
Bulgaria will have to take out of usage 55 Soviet-made airplanes, unless they meet the EU standards.
EU transport commissioner Jacques Barrot recommended "some of the toughest safety measures ever applied against a new member state" concerning Bulgarian aviation. The European Commission (EC) is expected to approve the measures.
According to FT, Barrot was expected to say that Bulgaria was incapable of checking entirely its airplanes' safety, flight personnel and maintenance.
Still, Barrot would refrain from advising EU citizens to avoid flying with Bulgarian air carriers. EU would not impose any restrictions on Bulgarian airlines flying from and to the union.
EU warned Bulgaria on aviation safety in 2005. A new study dating to December 2006 was more worrying than expected, FT said.
Eventual safeguard measures imposed on Bulgaria's aviation will "leave Bulgaria outside the single European aviation market" and will force the country sign bilateral agreements with each EU country.
