Chemical analysis of impact traces has convinced Argentinean investigators that an unmanned aerial vehicle collided with an Embraer 190 shortly before it commenced its final approach to Buenos Aires. Argentinean investigation authority JIAAC says the Austral Lineas Aereas twinjet – operating from Rosario on 22 December last year – struck a foreign object at 4,080ft, some 20nm northwest of Jorge Newbery airport, but subsequently landed safely. Examination of the region of impact, on the fuselage, found an oily gel-like substance as well as fibres. Swabbed samples were analysed by a metallurgical laboratory at the National University of La Plata, which determined that they largely contained carbon, oxygen and nitrogen. These results suggested the material was carbonfibre while the oily substance appeared to contain organic compounds known to be present in batteries. “According to the results from the material analysed, it was confirmed that the object that struck the [Embraer] was an unmanned aerial vehicle,” says JIAAC. While investigators combed the area in which the drone was likely to have crashed – based on the aircraft’s height and speed, as well as wind direction – no debris was located. “Remains of the [drone] could have provided important information for the inquiry,” says JIAAC, providing data on its mass, performance, and operator. But based on data from a European Union Aviation Safety Agency study, the drone was probably in the ‘medium’ or ‘large’ category. The drone had been flying at night over a populated area within the control zone of Jorge Newbery airport, in the vicinity of the final approach path to runway 13. Regulations prohibit the operation of drones in controlled airspace without special authorisation, the inquiry points out. But it states that it could not determine whether the drone was complying with the rules.

Source: Cirium

British Airways parent IAG has issued a fresh plea to the UK government to independently review what the airline group sees as spiralling expansion costs at London Heathrow. In a message to newly elected UK prime minister Boris Johnson, who famously said he would lie down in front of a bulldozer to prevent Heathrow from building a third runway, IAG chief executive Willie Walsh calls for "a fresh look at the environmental viability and total cost" of expanding the hub. IAG notes that the UK Civil Aviation Authority is scheduled to announce imminently how much Heathrow can spend on planning and early construction costs, despite the airport's lack of planning permission for the project. "To ask customers to stump up vast sums in advance for a runway that may not get built, based only on Heathrow's cost proposals, is unacceptable," argues Walsh. IAG claims that operator Heathrow Airport's proposed early construction costs have risen to £2.8 billion ($3.7 billion) from £650 million in April 2018, while planning costs have nearly doubled from £265 million in 2017 to £500 million today. Accusing the airport of "spending recklessly to gold-plate projects" in the past, Walsh adds: "Allowing an expanded airport that is considerably more expensive than our European neighbours would be an own goal, as we need to compete on the world stage." The IAG chief wants the government to commission an independent assessment of Heathrow's expansion costs to ensure the expansion is "cost effective", and to "stop the CAA, as a regulator, allowing consumers to be taken for a ride". Heathrow did not immediately respond to a request for comment. When he was London's mayor, Boris Johnson vehemently opposed plans to build a third runway at Heathrow, instead backing proposals to develop an all-new airport in the Thames Estuary. Since becoming prime minister, he appears to have softened his stance. During an interview on UK radio station LBC earlier this month, when he was challenged on his previous pledge to lie in front of a bulldozer to prevent Heathrow's expansion, Johnson said: "Let's wait and see when the bulldozers arrive. The issue with Heathrow, as you know, is there is still substantial doubt about the ability of the promoters to meet their obligations on air quality and noise pollution. "But, as you know, parliament has voted very substantially in favour of that project, so that's where we are on Heathrow."

Soource: Cirium

Pilots at British Airways have voted to accept a new pay deal, ending a dispute which led to industrial action in September that cost the airline millions and prompted parent company IAG to revise down its full-year profit forecast. The British Air Line Pilots Association (BALPA) said on 16 December that its members employed by BA had voted almost nine to one in favour of accepting a pay and conditions deal proposed by arbitration service Acas and recommended by the union. BA pilots went on strike on 9 and 10 September, forcing the airline to cancel more than 4,500 flights, although 2,200 were later reinstated. Industrial action had also been planned for 27 September but was later called off by BALPA in order to prevent "irreparable damage" to the airline's brand. IAG in September put the cost of the strike at €170 million ($190 million) and reviewed its full-year forecast. The airline group said that operating profit before exceptional items would be €215 million lower than the pro-forma figure of €3.48 billion achieved in the previous year. It had, at the time of releasing its outlook at the beginning of the year, expected operating profit "in line" with the €3.23 billion reported for 2018.

Source: Cirium