germanwings (4U, Cologne/Bonn) and other German carriers serving the United Kingdom could see their flights there suspended should Germany refuse to comply with a tentative UK government directive requiring all airlines serving the UK to advance passenger data to its security agencies well ahead of each flight's departure.

The Permanent Secretary in the UK's Home Office, Mark Sedwill, was quoted by the Guardian newspaper as stating the threat would apply to all EU airlines; German flights in particular.

“We are looking in future legislation at taking mandatory powers. We are working with all the airlines. We have 90% of advanced passenger information,” he told a Commons public accounts committee.

The advance passenger lists include names and travel plans as well as personal details such as home address, credit card numbers, and other data which enable security services to build up a profile of passengers they are interested in. Any passengers found to be on a watchlist would be barred from boarding any flight to the UK.

However, the new law will face difficulties in enforcement given that it will hinge on other countries in the European Union amending their own data privacy laws.

“We are in discussions, which for obvious reasons I have to keep somewhat private, with other EU countries to change their data protection legislation in order to require this data of the carrier,” he said.

The move, which would mirror a similar initiative already in force in the United States, was due to have been discussed during the recent G6 summit in Paris last week.

Aside from germanwings, German carriers currently serving the UK include Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) and Germania (Berlin Schönefeld).