UAE''s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has lifted the ban on An-12s operating in UAE airspace. However, only operators who present a certificate of airworthiness from the Antonov Design Bureau in Ukraine may restart operating the cargo planes.

Officials say that they are fully prepared to act against operators who fail to maintain the planes to sufficient safety levels.

The ban, which the GCAA is now claiming was only ever going to be temporary, infuriated An-12 operators when it was implemented in January. It followed a string of accidents and crashes of An-12s due to poor maintenance and crew error.

"We have sent a release letter to the industry and to civil aviation departments in the Emirates releasing this aircraft to operate in the UAE with conditions,"said Saif Mohammed al Suwaidi, the director general of the GCAA.