Iran said on Tuesday it had arrested people accused of a role in shooting down a Ukrainian airliner and had also detained 30 people involved in protests that have swept the nation for four days since the military belatedly admitted its error. Wednesday’s downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight 752, which killed all 176 people aboard, has created a new crisis for the Islamic Republic’s clerical rulers. President Hassan Rouhani promised a thorough investigation into the “unforgivable error” in an address on Tuesday. It was the latest in a series of apologies by the leadership that has done little to quell public anger. Britain, France and Germany also increased diplomatic pressure on Iran, launching a dispute mechanism to challenge Tehran for breaching limits on its nuclear program under an agreement which Washington abandoned in 2018. Tehran has faced an escalating confrontation with the West and a wave of unrest since the United States killed Iran’s most powerful military commander in a drone strike on Jan. 3. New security camera footage shows two missiles, fired 30 seconds apart, hitting the plane after takeoff, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. <br/>
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The New York Times has verified security camera footage on Tuesday that shows, for the first time, that two missiles hit Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 on Jan. 8. The missiles were launched from an Iranian military site around eight miles from the plane. The new video fills a gap about why the plane’s transponder stopped working, seconds before it was hit by a second missile. An earlier Times analysis confirmed what Iran later admitted: that an Iranian missile did strike the plane. The Times also established that the transponder stopped working before that missile hit the plane. The new video appears to confirm that an initial strike disabled the transponder, before the second strike, also seen in the video, around 23 seconds later. Neither strike downed the plane immediately. The new video shows the airliner on fire, circling back toward Tehran’s international airport. Minutes later it exploded and crashed down, narrowly missing the village of Khalaj Abad, an earlier Times video reconstruction shows.<br/>
The immediate future of Flybe was secured on Tuesday night after ministers agreed a rescue deal with shareholders to keep Europe’s largest regional carrier flying. The package of measures includes a potential loan in the region of GBP100m and/or a possible short-term deferral of a GBP106m air passenger duty (APD) bill, plus a pledge to review taxes on domestic flights before the March budget. After the spectre was raised of another UK airline failure, Flybe’s owners Connect Airways – a consortium led by Virgin Atlantic – were persuaded to commit millions more to cover ongoing losses. The government is still in negotiations to finalise any loan to Flybe, and although Treasury sources denied reports that it had agreed to defer outstanding APD, it is understood that HMRC could allow the airline a short-term extension to settle its debt. The deal was condemned by BA owner IAG as “a blatant misuse of public funds”. CE, Willie Walsh, accused Virgin of “wanting the taxpayer to pick up the tab for their mismanagement of the airline”. Any government loan would also attract EU commission scrutiny for breaching state aid. However, the EU approved loans made last September by the German government to save Condor, a subsidiary of the Thomas Cook Group, when the UK allowed its sister airline to go bust.<br/>
Vietnam’s largest conglomerate, Vingroup, has decided to scrap its plans for an airline business. Vinpearl Air should have been launched this summer, with plans to grow to a fleet of 30 aircraft by 2024. It seems worries about Vietnam’s aviation market becoming saturated are at the heart of Vingroup’s decision. Vinpearl Air was mooted last summer to become the 6th airline in Vietnam, following hot on the heels of newly launched Bamboo Airways. However, it now seems that the dream of the Vingroup to enter the aviation industry has been shelved, as the conglomerate is reported to be abandoning the project. As Vietnam’s largest conglomerate, there were high hopes Vingroup could make a great success of the airline business. Just like Tata Sons in India have done with Vistara, the Vingroup’s airline would have had substantial financial backing to compete in the increasingly crowded Vietnamese market, a market which is pegged for exponential growth over the next decade or so. The airline was slated to begin operations in the summer this year, operating out of Vietnam’s Noi Bai airport in Hanoi. Vinpearl Air would operate both domestic and international services, growing its fleet to 30 aircraft by 2024.<br/>
Brazil’s third-largest airline Azul said Tuesday it will buy regional carrier Two Flex for 123m reais ($30m), as it aims to expand its presence at Sao Paulo’s hotly disputed domestic airport. Two Flex holds departure and landing rights, known as slots, at the Congonhas airport in South America’s biggest city, where bigger rivals LATAM Airlines Group and Gol Linhas Aereas have long had an overwhelming presence. The acquisition may help Azul to grow its footprint there, pending approval from Brazil’s aviation regulator ANAC.<br/>