This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/5396018.stm

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Flights from UK 'escape US bans' UK flights sidestep security row
(about 4 hours later)
Passengers flying from UK airports will not be affected by a EU-US row over US demands for information on passengers, the British government has said. Transatlantic flights from the UK will avoid potential landing bans after the government moved to sidestep a row been the EU and the US over security.
The Department of Transport (DoT) said it had taken out an air navigation order, so planes flying to the US would escape potential American landing bans. The government has taken out a special order which allows UK planes to keep providing passenger details to the US.
It means airlines can pass information to the US without running into legal trouble under data protection laws. The situation arose after EU-US talks about sharing passenger information stalled, creating a "legal vacuum".
The action came as a deal between the EU and US remained in doubt. Refusal to provide the data could lead to US landing bans but giving it risks breaking EU data protection law.
After 9/11 US authorities demanded airlines should provide personal passenger data for all inbound flights.
[The government] took it on that if there was not a deal between the EU and the US then this patch could take effect Paul Charles, Virgin Atlantic Airline data talks collapse What the US wants to know
But the subsequent US-EU agreement was ruled illegal by the highest European court in May, and Saturday was the deadline for a new deal.
As the deadline passed without resolution the Department of Transport (DoT) said it had taken out an air navigation order, which allows airlines to pass information to the US without running into legal trouble under data protection laws.
The EU said the talks with American officials had broken down but attempts to resolve the deadlock would continue. US officials insisted they were confident an agreement could be reached.
US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told Reuters news agency he had been assured European airlines would continue to provide the required information, adding he doubted EU governments would penalise them for this.
Legal 'patch'
A DoT spokesman said: "We took out an air navigation order so planes could have a legal basis for data transfer while the EU-level talks are ongoing.A DoT spokesman said: "We took out an air navigation order so planes could have a legal basis for data transfer while the EU-level talks are ongoing.
"It's a patch, if you like.""It's a patch, if you like."
Planning ahead
Paul Charles, Virgin Atlantic's director of communications, said the British government had good foresight to put the legal patch in place.Paul Charles, Virgin Atlantic's director of communications, said the British government had good foresight to put the legal patch in place.
"They took it on that if there was not a deal between the EU and the US then this patch could take effect."They took it on that if there was not a deal between the EU and the US then this patch could take effect.
"It means airlines can carry on as normal as if the argument had never occurred, and the agreement was not about to run out. "It means airlines can carry on as normal as if the argument had never occurred."
"It means airlines can go on providing the passenger data that the US require without facing possible legal action." Since 2003 US authorities have requested that airlines provide passengers' personal data to American security officials, including credit card information and telephone numbers.
Deadline
European and American officials had been holding talks to resolve the dispute on the transfer of airline passenger data before it ran out on Saturday.
The row began in May, when the European Court of Justice ruled against a deal set up following the 9/11 attacks.
Under this agreement, European airlines agreed to supply the American authorities with detailed information about passengers flying into the US.
The two sides had until Saturday to replace the deal, with the Americans warning it may fine airlines or deny them landing rights if they refused to provide such data.
The US government believe the information is vital in their fight against terrorism and called for even more access to information.The US government believe the information is vital in their fight against terrorism and called for even more access to information.
The two sides had until Saturday to replace the deal, with the Americans warning it may fine airlines or deny them landing rights if they refused to provide the data.