Flights from London’s Heathrow airport were halted for about an hour on Tuesday after reports of a drone sighting near Europe’s busiest air hub, raising fears that the chaos that affected rival Gatwick last month could be repeated on an even larger scale. “We are responding to a drone sighting at Heathrow,” the airport said. “As a precautionary measure, we have stopped departures while we investigate. We apologize to passengers for any inconvenience this may cause.” London’s Metropolitan Police said they had received reports of a drone near the airport at about 1705 GMT on Tuesday, which they were investigating with airport authorities. The airport confirmed about an hour later that take-offs had resumed. Flight tracker websites showed flights departing from 1811 GMT. A Reuters witness in a plane on the runway at Heathrow said multiple aircraft were waiting for permission to take off before being later told that things were starting to move. Heathrow said it was working closely with authorities including the police and looking at relevant technology to combat the threat of drones.<br/>
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An extra 25,000 flights a year could come through Heathrow before the third runway is built, in plans revealed by the airport as it launched a fresh consultation over its airspace and operations. Planes could come in to land on both runways at the same time during busy periods, Heathrow has proposed, to help maximise its capacity ahead of expansion. The plans, requiring planning approval but tacitly backed through government support for increased aircraft capacity, would involve lifting the current cap to more than 500,000 flights a year. New areas of London would be brought under Heathrow flight paths for the first time. The airport will also start to sketch out where planes will fill the skies after the third runway opens, potentially as early as 2026. In a separate consultation last year, most respondents rejected the idea of concentrating more planes over the same area and asked the airport to vary flight paths, which is likely to affect thousands more homes. However, more distant areas under flight paths, such as parts of south-east London, could get some respite.<br/>
With screeners already calling in sick in larger-than-normal numbers, US airports are girding for disruptions next week if the partial government shutdown continues and TSA officers miss their first paycheck. The airport security officers are caught in the political fight in Washington between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats over money for a wall along the Mexican border. Thirteen federal departments and agencies have largely closed down operations since Dec. 22 because funding hasn’t been approved. The 51,739 TSA officers, who screen bags and passengers at US airports, are considered essential to security and were ordered to continue reporting for duty even though funding for their agency has been halted. In recent days the screeners have called in sick in growing numbers, according to the agency. The sick calls have contributed to longer wait times at unspecified airports, but major disruptions haven’t been reported so far, said Christopher Bidwell, a senior vice president for security at the Airports Council International-North America in Washington. “We’re concerned that a prolonged government shutdown could potentially impact security and wait times at airports,” Bidwell said. Airports are conducting talks with local TSA managers about finding ways to bolster TSA staffing, he said. Non-TSA employees aren’t permitted to screen bags and people, but can help at checkpoints by returning bins and managing lines.<br/>
India will issue new safety protocols for airlines operating Airbus A320neo aircraft fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines, the civil aviation secretary said, after temporary grounding orders affected the planes last year. Indian low-cost airlines IndiGo and GoAir were forced to ground A320neo aircraft on several occasions due to issues related to their engines. IndiGo, GoAir, aircraft manufacturer Airbus and engine maker Pratt & Whitney met Indian civil aviation ministry officials on Tuesday to discuss the engine issues. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) xwould issue safety rules for airlines in one week, civil aviation secretary R. N. Choubey said. But he said his ministry had no plans to tell IndiGo, India’s biggest carrier by market share, and GoAir to take A320neos jets out of service or stop taking new deliveries. IndiGo, owned by InterGlobe Aviation, is Airbus’ biggest customer for the A320neo, all of which are fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines. IndiGo and GoAir together have more than 500 such planes on order.<br/>
Boeing delivered a record 806 aircraft in 2018 as it overcame supplier woes, retaining the title of the world’s biggest planemaker for the seventh straight year. The company’s shares rose as much as 3.9% to $340.90 and were the biggest percentage gainer on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Airbus, which will report its numbers on Wednesday and lags behind Boeing due to engine delays, said it achieved its 800-jet target pending final audit. “Overall, Boeing is taking market share from its main competitor Airbus and is well positioned with strong commercial and military demand,” said CFRA Research analyst Jim Corridore, who upgraded the stock to “strong buy” from “buy”. The latest numbers indicate that fuselage and engine delays at suppliers in 2018 are largely behind Boeing as it gears up to meet surging demand for airplanes in 2019 amid booming air travel. “In addition to the ongoing demand for the 737 MAX, we saw strong sales for every one of our twin-aisle airplanes,” said Ihssane Mounir, senior VP of commercial sales and marketing. To mitigate supply chain snarls, Boeing helped expand production capacity at suppliers who have hired workers, including retirees this year.<br/>