Clifford Chance (CC), Eversheds Sutherland and Allen & Overy (A&O) have checked in on insurance company Legal & General's £4bn pension buy-in of a British Airways (BA) scheme that will cover historic pension liabilities for the airline company.

Airways Pension Scheme (APS), which closed in the 1980s, is made up of about 24,000 members, 200 of who still work for BA.

A&O and Eversheds Sutherland are advising the scheme's trustees, with insurance partner Philip Jarvis and counsel Kate McInerney leading for A&O, while pensions partner Anthea Whitton is leading for Eversheds alongside head of pensions Francois Barker.

CC is advising Legal & General on the deal with a team led by corporate partner Katherine Coates and pensions partner Sarah McAleer.

Virginia Holmes, chair of the scheme's trustee, said: "This transaction is the latest in a number of insured arrangements entered into by the Airways Pension Scheme. It demonstrates the vision and determination of the trustee to reduce risk and increase security for members. Today's announcement is the culmination of much hard work undertaken over several months and we are pleased to be taking this significant step in the scheme's de-risking journey."

Eversheds is also advising the trustees of specialist insurer the Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC), on an £800m deal to secure the pensions of 9,000 former employees of collapsed retailer BHS. Herbert Smith Freehills is advising PIC with a team led by pensions partner Samantha Brown, while pensions partner Mark Latimour led for Eversheds.