Vietnam Airlines plans to reconfigure the cabins of 23 Airbus A321s using seats supplied by Safran. The new cabin layout for the single-aisles will comprise eight business and 201 economy seats, the carrier says. Data shows that Vietnam Airlines has 40 A321ceos, 20 A321neos and one A320neo in its fleet, and another two A320neos on order. The A321neos and eight of the A321ceos are configured with eight business and 195 economy seats, while the remaining 32 A321ceos have 16 business and either 162 or 168 economy seats. Beyond seats, Safran will provide internet-access equipment for 20 A321neos and 17 Boeing 787s, Vietnam Airlines says. It adds that Safran will continue to supply spare parts for business seats on its 787s and A350s. Vietnam Airlines has 11 787-9s, five 787-10s and 14 A350-900s. It has one more 787-10 on order.

The US National Transportation Safety Bureau (NTSB) has started an investigation into the cause of a smoke detection and post-landing fire on a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321ceo that made an emergency landing at Las Vegas Harry Reid International airport on 5 October. Frontier says on X that flight 1326 from San Diego was in the process of landing around 15:15 local time when the crew detected smoke and declared an emergency. "The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew were evacuated via airstairs. No injuries were reported, and passengers have been bussed to the terminal," it adds. Frontier says that there were 190 passengers and seven crew on board. The NTSB confirms on its own X account that it is investigating the emergency landing. Video and air traffic control recordings of the incident indicate that there was a brief fire on the right side of the aircraft upon landing that was extinguished by firefighters as the aircraft came to a rest on runway 26 right at the airport. The recordings also indicate that the aircraft suffered radio communications issues during the approach, and briefly lost radar contact, but the crew were able to resume communications with emergency crew and air traffic control once the aircraft had stopped. Flight tracking shows that the aircraft involved bears registration N701FR, which corresponds to MSN 6793. The CFM International CFM56-powered aircraft was built in 2015 and operated since new by Frontier, and is managed by ST Engineering Aerospace Resources, fleets data shows.

Air Vanuatu will exit liquidation soon after Vanuatu's supreme court approved the implementation of a deed of compromise with government-owned entity AV3. The orders allow for the transfer of Air Vanuatu's shares to AV3, two days after which it will formally exit liquidation and be handed back to its management, EY says in a statement provided. Creditors approved the Deed at a 21 August meeting. "The implementation of the Deed of Compromise maximises the return to creditors and presents an opportunity for the Air Vanuatu business to continue, saving jobs and providing vital aviation services for Vanuatu," says liquidator Morgan Kelly. AV3, which is wholly owned by Vanuatu's foreign affairs ministry, has proposed to recapitalise the airline and would see it emerge from liquidation with around $16.8 million still owed to secured and partially secured creditors and employees, a creditor's report shows. Partially secured creditors, which include aircraft lessors and financiers, will receive no distribution but Air Vanuatu "will engage with these parties to restructure their arrangements into the future". Documents show that two lessors and financiers are owed around $2.94 million. AV3 will contribute $3.3 million to a fund in three tranches over 10 months to pay unsecured creditors' claims, after which they will release all claims and receive around US 5 cents per dollar. Hurley Lawyers and K&L Gates acted on behalf of the liquidators. Fleets data shows that the airline has an ATR 72-600 in service which is leased from Falko, while a De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter leased from Air Tuvalu is in storage. It has another Twin Otter that is owned unencumbered while a third is on finance lease. It also has a Britten-Norman BN-2B Islander that is unencumbered. Air Vanuatu also holds an order for two Airbus A220-300s and one -100, but an earlier liquidator's report states that the order was cancelled in 2019 but a $20 million deposit had not been returned. The airline previously operated a Boeing 737-800 which had been repossessed by Air Lease Corporation in Melbourne prior to the airline entering liquidation in May.