Dubai: Emirates airline's president said yesterday that the carrier complied with US security rules before allowing the Times Square bombing suspect to board a flight for Dubai and blamed President Barack Obama's administration for exaggerating the airline's role.

"We're not a security agency," Tim Clark told Zawya Dow Jones in a telephone interview. "For the Obama administration to say that we dropped the ball on this, it's a bit much."

Clark said Emirates was fully compliant with security procedures before flight EK202 was due to depart on Saturday evening, but said airlines shouldn't be left to apprehend alleged criminals. US officials including New York's mayor Michael Bloomberg have accused Emirates of failing to prevent the alleged bomber on the flight.

Information flow

"Perhaps the US needs to re-examine the flow of information between all the different authorities and also take a look at exit controls. The US government must also be asking itself why it doesn't have tighter exit controls when entry controls are so strict," he said.

Agents from the Department of Homeland Security arrested Faisal Shahzad at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on May 3 on Emirates EK202 flight to Dubai, which was about to take off.

Shahzad, a naturalised American citizen from Pakistan, admitted his role in the plot, US Attorney General Eric Holder said on May 4.

"The government of the US has multiple security agencies which should be able to work together to ensure that these things don't happen," said Clark.

Although the no-fly list had been updated earlier that day, Clark said "it wasn't circulated as it should have been".

Clark said security officials had carried out their checks on the aircraft shortly before takeoff, but that the plane was only pulled back following a telephone call.

"At the end of the day, they caught the guy, so I don't know why we're being singled out," he said.

Shahzad had also managed to give the slip to officers who had him under surveillance at his Connecticut apartment and he was gone for hours without investigators knowing he was missing.

Air Berlin: New Dubai link

Germany's second largest carrier, Air Berlin, announced yesterday a new nonstop three-times-a-week service from Berlin to Dubai to commence on November 3.

The carrier will use its A330-200 air craft on its route and said those who are willing to book their flight from now can do so through the airline's website. One-way fares start from 199 euros (Dh928.514), a statement said. Joachim Hunold, CEO of Air Berlin, underlined the positive effect on both Arab-German business relationships and leisure tourism to and from Dubai. This year, he said, "diversity" is Air Berlin's motto, with an emphasis on modernity.

— Staff Report