The aircraft which crashed had been banned from Swiss airspace

Loyola de Palacio was speaking in a European Parliament debate prompted by the Flash Airlines crash in the Red Sea 10 days ago, which killed 148 people.

She said action taken against airlines in the EU's "most rigorous" member states should be extended to all others.

She also called for holidaymakers to be told which airline they were booked on.

Campaigners hope the Red Sea crash will prompt governments to go public with bans imposed on airlines in EU states.

Switzerland only revealed a 2002 ban on Flash Airlines after the plane crashed.

Switzerland is not a member of the EU but there are other cases in which airlines banned in one EU state continue to be allowed to fly in others.

"The most rigorous member state's attitude should become the attitude and action of the whole EU," Ms de Palacio said.

On Thursday the UK broke with established practice by naming airlines it has grounded.

I have asked the services of the [European] Commission to look into this matter as a priority because it is essential Loyola de Palacio EU Transport Commissioner New queries on UK bans

Ms Palacio said the British initiative "shows that transparency isn't just possible, but exists and should be done".

The EU's annual report on airline safety "will do so as well," she added.

"We don't understand that when you buy the tour package you get all kinds of other information on hotel, about meals and places to visit, additional sightseeing, but you are not told what airline is going to be flying you to that holiday," Ms Palacio said.

Shock

The European Parliament's rapporteur on the safety of foreign aircraft, Belgian MEP Nelly Maes, also called for more transparency across the EU.

"The tragic accident in Egypt shocked all of us and has made it very clear that we still do not have adequate safety measures in place in Europe," she said.

"People rightly ask how it can be that an aircraft can be refused landing rights in Switzerland but can land in other European countries."

She added: "I'm pleased that the commissioner has now acknowledged the need for speedy action in this field and I look forward to urgent progress being made."

In October MEPs backed a directive that included tough new safeguards for non-European aircraft using Europe's airports and requirements to publish information on checks made on non-EU airlines.

However, governments of EU member states have rejected some of the parliament's proposals.

It will not be acceptable to anonymise data on unsafe airlines Nelly Maes MEP

A search for compromise, in order to save the directive, will begin on 20 January.

Some changes to the draft directive already made by governments would restrict the amount of information made public and the frequency of reports.

In its present form it calls for data to be released in an annual report, with the source "disidentified".

Ms Maes wants any bans to be made public quickly.

"It will not be acceptable to anonymise data on unsafe airlines," she said in parliament.

A BBC News Online investigation has found that six airlines, including Flash, had aircraft grounded on safety grounds in one of three European countries in 2002.

The only information available about bans imposed in 2003 comes from the UK Government, which banned three passenger airlines - from Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo - on safety grounds.

Another airline from Bosnia, as well as two cargo airlines from Estonia and Latvia, had permits temporarily withdrawn.