THIS WEEK
8 | Flight International | 3-9 March 2020 flightglobal.com
TUNISIA OBTAINS AT-6 APPROVAL
PURCHASE The US government has cleared a potentially $
million sale of four Textron Aviation Beechcraft AT-6C Wolverine
light-attack aircraft to Tunisia. Outlined by the US Defense
Security Cooperation Agency on 26 February, the deal also
includes more than 3,000 BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill
Weapon System rockets, precision-guided bombs, sensors,
training and technical support.FLIGHT-CONTROL UPDATE FOR SOME 737NGS
SAFETY US regulators will require airlines to inspect flight-
control computers on over 500 Boeing 737NGs to address risks
that aircraft might drift below the glideslope during landing. A
proposed rule released on 26 February targets aircraft with
systems employing the P8.0 and P9.0 software versions. If
enacted, the action should be implemented within 12 months.BAKU STARTS M-346 TRAINER TALKS
NEGOTIATIONS Azerbaijan has signed a memorandum of
understanding on the Leonardo M-346 advanced jet trainer, with
the nation’s president, Ilham Aliyev, describing it as linked to a
“very big deal” to be implemented by the company. Leonardo
says the agreement covers “the launch of formal negotiations for
the definition of an industrial co-operation based on the supply
of the M-346”. The nation’s air force currently operates 12 Aero
Vodochody L-39 advanced jet trainers, Cirium fleets data shows.BA TARGETS SINGLE-USE PLASTICS
ENVIRONMENT British Airways plans to remove 700t of
single-use plastics from its flights this year, by eliminating 250
million individual items. The airline, which has introduced
bamboo drink stirrers and sourced water bottles produced using
50% recycled plastic, now aims to replace single-use plastic
cutlery, tumblers, cups, toothpicks and butter packaging.TRANS STATES REACHES END STATE
CLOSURE Trans States Airline, which flies Embraer ERJ-145s
for United Airlines, will end operations by the end of 2020.
Details of the move emerged as another United regional
affiliate, ExpressJet Airlines, disclosed plans to add 36 ERJ-145s
to its fleet, while divesting its current E175s.AIR FRANCE A380 ENTERS STORAGE
RETIREMENT The first of up to four ex-Air France Airbus A380s
has been positioned into Ireland West airport for storage,
signalling the start of the airline’s superjumbo retirement process.
The aircraft (F-HPJB) landed at the site on 20 February and will
be stored at the facilities of Eirtrade Aviation. Cirium fleets data
shows that F-HPJB was delivered in February 2010 and is one of
five Air France A380s managed by DS Aviation. The carrier
returned it to its owner, Dr Peters, on 1 January 2020.MORE PRESIDENTIAL HELICOPTERS ORDERED
CONTRACT Sikorsky has been awarded a $471 million
contract to produce a second low-rate initial production (LRIP)
batch of VH-92A presidential helicopters for delivery to the US
Marine Corps in 2022 and 2023. All six aircraft from an initial
LRIP deal are undergoing modification, ahead of their delivery
from 2021.BRIEFING
Airports statement cited capacity constraints in justifying expansionShutterstockOPERATIONS LEWIS HARPER LONDONCourt blocks third
Heathrow runway
Government plans rejected on environmental grounds as
local authorities and green groups appeal May 2019 rulingT
he UK’s court of appeal on 27
February ruled that plans for
a third runway at London Heath-
row airport are unlawful because
they do not take into account gov-
ernment commitments relating to
climate change.
“We have concluded, in par-
ticular, that the designation of the
[plans] was unlawful by reason of
a failure to take into account the
government’s commitment to the
provisions of the Paris Agree-
ment on climate change, con-
cluded in December 2015,” the
summary of judgements states.
The ruling addressed a chal-
lenge – brought by a number of
local authorities, the mayor of
London, Greenpeace, Friends of
the Earth, and Plan B Earth – to
the UK government’s Airports
National Policy Statement
(ANPS), which was designated in
mid-2018.
The UK’s Planning Act re-
quires that the policy set out in
the ANPS “must... include an ex-
planation of how the policy...
takes account of government pol-
icy relating to the mitigation of,
and adaptation to, climate
change”, the judgement explains.
The appeal court has ruled that
the failure of the policy to ad-
dress those issues “is legally fatalto the ANPS in its present form”.
Responding to the verdict,
Heathrow says the issues raised
are “eminently fixable”, that it
“will appeal to the Supreme Court
on this one issue”, and is “confi-
dent that we will be successful”.
The ANPS outlined plans for a
third runway to be built at Heath-
row amid capacity constraints at
the UK’s busiest hub.
That plan was approved by the
UK parliament in June 2018, with
then-transport secretary Chris
Grayling describing it as an “his-
toric moment”.
The UK High Court ruled the
government’s blueprint for ex-
pansion to be legally sound in
May 2019, but the judgement was
appealed.
The new judgement stresses that
the decision “is not concerned
with the merits of expanding
Heathrow by adding a third run-
way, or of any alternative project”.
It adds: “Those matters are the
government’s responsibility and
the government’s alone.”
The summary notes that the
government does not intend to
appeal the ruling.
UK Prime Minister Boris John-
son has previously expressed
strong opposition to Heathrow
expansion plans. ■