Germany’s govt banned an Iranian airline from operating in the country following US allegations that its aircraft transported weapons and fighters to war-torn Syria. US officials say the move against Mahan Air result of longstanding pressure from the Trump administration. Mahan Air, which operates 3 flights a week from Tehran to Düsseldorf and Munich, had its permit revoked with immediate effect Monday. A German govt spokesman said that the ban was necessary to protect the interests of the federal govt. Mahan Air could potentially have transported cargo or people posing a security threat to Germany, he added. The move follows months of pressure from the US at high levels of the German govt. Iran Air isn’t affected by the ban and remains able to fly to Germany. <br/>
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Independent carrier Germania says it has found a solution to cover its short-term liquidity requirements. The family-run company said Jan 9 that it was looking at a variety of options to assure its short-term funding, following a challenging period marked by increasing fuel prices, a weaker euro currency and delays in bringing aircraft into service. Germania noted that it was operating in a business landscape increasingly dominated by large airlines. The company said Saturday it had found new funding support that would secure its future. “With regard to our financing efforts, we have received an important commitment today,” Germania CE Karsten Balke said. “In total, the financial support now exceeds the initial target amount of US$17m. We should receive the funds in the next week.” <br/>
A Scoot flight from Gold Coast to Singapore was diverted to Sydney Airport Monday due to a disruption caused by an unruly passenger on board. Flight TR7 was scheduled to reach Singapore at 3:15pm Monday, but it was diverted just 1h 20 min into the 8-hour flight. Scoot said that an Australian man on board punched another passenger. Crew members and other passengers stepped in to break up the fight. "The unruly passenger was eventually subdued with 2 restraining kits, with the help of 5 passengers," the airline added. Scoot said that the passenger appeared normal during boarding and take-off, but began to disturb surrounding passengers after take-off. Crew members were instructed not to sell alcohol to him, the airline said. <br/>
Bangkok Airways has announced the resignation of its CE after Thai regulators said he must step down and pay penalties for alleged share trading irregularities. Prasert Prasarttong-osoth, the airline’s CE and vice-chairman, tendered his resignation Jan. 21, effective the same day, Bangkok Airways said. Narumon Chainaknan, the executive secretary to the CE, is also resigning. Bangkok Airways noted that the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had issued civil sanctions against Prasert and Narumon. However, the airline said the pair intend to “prove their innocence in this matter through the justice system.” The carrier’s board will meet Jan 24 to discuss the situation. Bangkok Airways stated the penalties and resignations will not have any effect on its financial status, operating results or business plan. <br/>
Emirates announced Monday that passengers can now create their own playlists ahead of their flight and sync it to their seats once on board. With the new functionality, flyers can choose what music, movies or TV shows to play on board, even before stepping onto the plane by accessing the Emirates app. Ice, Emirates’ inflight entertainment, has reached a new milestone of over 4,000 channels of on-demand entertainment. Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, said the latest functionality elevates the customer experience even before stepping onto the aircraft. The syncing capability is currently available on over 100 Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft and will be made available progressively across the entire fleet, including A380 aircraft, in the coming months. <br/>
Troubled regional airline Flybe was given an increase of GBP1m in public subsidies by ministers and local authority officials as it struggled to stay afloat because of poor results and large debts. The govt allowed the airline to switch a flight route from Gatwick to Heathrow, where it could offer more services by using its existing landing slots at London’s main international hub. Both the Department for Transport and the airline said the decision was made to benefit passengers because the carrier could offer more frequent flights at a bigger airport with better long-haul connections. The move, which was announced in November, led to a higher subsidy because of the increased flight frequency at a more expensive airport. <br/>