Dear all
Ian Shoesmith from BBC News here again. As part of my research into a possible story, I'd like to have a quick chat (for briefing only, and certainly not for publication or broadcast) about the way airlines insure themselves. I believe it is routine for airlines to "pick and mix" insurance cover based upon the countries over which they intend to fly?
I don't know this for sure, but I'd guess that certain countries carry a higher risk, and hence premium? Eg insurance cover to fly over Iraq probably costs a lot more than it does to hop over Ireland?
What I need to do is to obtain the flightplans for a certain operator's routes from the UK to a couple of specific longhaul destinations. Are they pretty much constant, or do they vary significantly on a day-to-day basis eg because of weather?
The CAA tell me that this isn't their responsibility, and that it's something I'd need to obtain from the relevant airline; or from NATS. I fear I may come against rejection from the latter on the grounds of confidentiality.
Anybody with any information on this, please get in touch. As always, any information provided will be in strictest confidence.
Thanks for taking the time to read this long post - I've tried to be as concise as possible.
Ian Shoesmith
BBC News
020 8624 9505 / 07769 977665 (best option, cos am frequently either away from my desk, or working from home)
[email protected]
or PM me shoey1976