Russian authorities have indicated interest in introducing remote-tower concepts similar to those being deployed at a number of European airports. Federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia has been hosting a discussion on the subject in co-operation with the ministry of transport, the state air traffic management corporation, and the state civil aviation research institute. Rosaviatsia says the concepts could be used to "improve quality and effectiveness" of air navigation services at Russian airports with low levels of flight activity. Russian industries have developed the necessary remote video surveillance technology, it adds, but a pilot project needs to be undertaken at a suitable airport in order to conduct a "practical check" of the capabilities and carry out a risk assessment. The discussion, held during the MAKS Moscow air show, outlined foreign experience in remote-tower implementation as well as the critical problems associated with data transmission between the tower and the control centre, with contributions from Russian specialist firms VNIIRA and MANS. Rosaviatsia also points out that the introduction of remote towers would need amendments to the regulatory framework, to address the issue of legal oversight.

Source: FlightGlobal

London's Metropolitan Police has vowed to "do everything in its power to prevent and stop" any attempt to disrupt operations at Heathrow, after reports that climate-change activists planned to fly drones within the UK airport's restricted airspace on 13 September. The threat came from a group named Heathrow Pause, a faction within the Extinction Rebellion movement. Its attempt to ground flights was envisioned to be part of a wider protest at Heathrow. Responding, the Met Police notes that Heathrow is "part of our national infrastructure" and states: "We will not allow the illegal activity of protesters to cause misery to thousands of air travellers. The dangers of flying drones in airspace used by airliners carrying passengers are stark and the consequences potentially very severe." Heathrow Airport says that while it agrees on the need to act on climate change, this is a global challenge that requires constructive engagement and action. "Committing criminal offences and disrupting passengers is counterproductive," it states. "Flying any form of drone near Heathrow is illegal and any persons found doing so will be subject to the full force of the law. We are working closely with the Met Police and will use our own drone-detection capability to mitigate the operational impact of any illegal use of drones near the airport."

Source: FlightGlobal

United Airlines has pushed the scheduled return of Boeing 737 Max flights out another six weeks until 19 December, axing thousands more flights in the process. The Chicago-based carrier's schedules previously had Max flights resuming in early November. United did not respond to questions about what factors prompted the change. The December date comes just prior to the busy end-of-year travel season. American Airlines' schedules still have the jet returning on 3 November, while Southwest Airlines has removed Max flights from its schedules until 6 January. Some analysts have described a November return as optimistic considering Boeing's projected timeline and the uncertainty of the process. Boeing hopes to submit certification materials to the US Federal Aviation Administration in September and for regulators to lift the grounding before year end, but concedes the process remains highly uncertain. Airline executives anticipate the FAA could clear the jet four to six weeks after receiving the certification package, though actually getting aircraft back into the skies will take additional time. United says the six-week pushback causes 2,800 flight cancellations in November and 1,700 in December. Those add to United's roughly 10,300 Max-induced cancellations between March and November, bringing its total number of cancelled flights to 14,800. "United has gone to great lengths to minimise the impact on our customers’ travel plans. We’ve used spare aircraft and other creative solutions to help our customers," the carrier says in a statement. "We are continuing to work through the schedule to try and swap and up-gauge aircraft to mitigate the disruption." Several days ago United said it received regulatory approval to ferry its 14 grounded 737 Max to the Arizona desert for "short-term storage".

Source: FlightGlobal