The U.S. Transportation Department fined Emirates airline $400,000 on Thursday for flights through Iranian airspace during a time of heightened political tension between the US and Iran last year. Half of the fine will be waived if Emirates avoids similar violations for one year. The department said the flights carried the code of New York-based JetBlue Airways — a sign that JetBlue could sell seats as if it were a JetBlue plane. That arrangement made the flights subject to a US ban on flying in Iranian airspace, including areas over the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The FAA imposed the ban after Iran shot down an American surveillance drone over the Gulf of Oman. The FAA cited political tension with Iran as raising the risk that American civilian planes in the area could be wrongly identified as military planes. The flights took place over 19 days in July 2019. In a consent order, Emirates said it doesn't believe the violation deserves enforcement action but agreed to the fine to settle the matter. Emirates said after the FAA order, it suspended all flights in Iranian airspace except two a day to Tehran. The airline said that when it resumed flying planes to and from the US through Iranian airspace, it mistakenly kept JetBlue's code on the flights. The airline said it fixed the error and made changes to avoid the same mistake in the future.<br/>
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Ryanair will close its bases in the southern Irish airports of Shannon and Cork for the winter season if the government fails to fully adopt EU travel rules due to be finalised this month, the Irish airline said Thursday. PM Micheal Martin has said Ireland plans to replace its current system of travel quarantines that allows unencumbered travel to just four countries with the European Union's proposed coordinated system when it is ready. "If the Irish Government does not fully adopt the EU travel regulations permitting unrestricted air travel to/from those regions of Europe that are Green or Amber from Oct 13, then regrettably the Cork and Shannon bases will close on Oct 26 and will not reopen until April 1 2021, at the earliest," said Eddie Wilson, chief executive of Ryanair's main airlines business.<br/>
Philippine Airlines on Thursday kicked off a major job-cutting program that could slash its workforce by more than a third, employees briefed on the matter said. The drastic move reflects the deepening impact of the coronavirus pandemic and related travel restrictions on airlines across Asia. In the first phase of the program the airline will seek voluntary resignations, while the second stage will involve compulsory terminations, airline officials told staff during virtual townhall meetings on Thursday. The program is expected to run through early December. Philippine Airlines and its budget affiliate employ around 7,800 workers. Staff were informed in early September that the airline was considering a 21% to 38% reduction of its workforce. The company is aiming to cut around 35% of jobs across all departments, according to the employees who spoke on condition of anonymity as well as materials from the meetings seen by Nikkei. A Philippine Airlines spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. Airline officials stressed during the townhall meetings that the program was necessary for the company's survival and that it might take a few years for business to recover.<br/>