30 Nov 06. BA planes undergo radiation tests. Two British Airways planes are to undergo further detailed examination after traces of a radioactive substance were discovered on board. The traces were found by scientists involved in investigating the death of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko. An inquest into the death opens today. BA said a third plane is grounded in Moscow awaiting tests. The airline is trying to make contact with 33,000 passengers who travelled on affected flights. People are being advised to check the flight details published on the BA website and to contact NHS Direct or a special helpline number if they travelled on the named flights. A spokeswoman for BA said the airline had also been “proactively calling passengers” and hoped to have contacted the majority before the end of Thursday. (Source: BBC)
29 Nov 06. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded Raytheon Company a contract to produce the Advanced Route Evaluation System (ARES) that will perform risk analysis on aviation routes to help planners determine the best routes for aircraft to use during an emergency. The ARES contract was awarded under the Rapid Technology Application program (RTAP) and is valued at $1.9m. ARES is an integrated solution for aviation route risk analysis that assesses factors such as aircraft type, fuel loads, and flight route, as well as modeling the relative vulnerability to terrorist activity for any planned flight.