SAS is seeking to reject one Airbus A321 equipped with IAE International Aero V2530-A5 engines as part of its US Chapter 11 restructuring. In a document submitted to a US bankruptcy court, the carrier requests permission to terminate the unexpired lease of the narrowbody (MSN 1675) with counterparty IC Airlease One. The aircraft was the subject of a sale-and-leaseback agreement in December 2015 SAS has already rejected another A321 (MSN 1848) leased from IC Airlease One as part of its restructuring process. The excess aircraft and records will be made available to the aircraft counterparty on an “as is, where is”, the airline states. Data shows that the aircraft is managed by the ITOCHU Corporation.

Australia has cleared Korean Air’s planned acquisition of compatriot Asiana Airlines. After market consultation with interested parties, the Australia Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) was satisfied that there is likely to be effective competition on direct flights between Sydney and Seoul, Korean Air said in a statement on 1 September. Qantas and Jetstar will shortly commence service on the sector, which is currently served only by Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. “Korean Air expects the Australian competition authority’s clearance to facilitate and expedite the remaining approval processes,” the flag carrier states. Providing an update of regulatory approvals for the acquisition, Korean Air says that since it submitted business combination reports on 14 January 2021 to nine countries that require reporting, it has received approval from South Korea, Turkey, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Thailand’s Trade Competition Commission stated that the submission was not necessary. In jurisdictions where reporting is arbitrary, Singapore and Malaysia have given the go-ahead while the Philippines stated that a submission was not necessary. The flag carrier states: “In order to finalise the acquisition process, Korean Air will continue to proactively communicate and cooperate with the remaining regulatory bodies where reporting is required, including the United States, the European Union, China and Japan, as well as the United Kingdom, where reporting is arbitrary.” Korean Air hopes to complete the acquisition by 30 September, having sought multiple three-month extensions from the initial end-2021 target.

German pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) has called industrial action at Lufthansa’s mainline and cargo operation on 2 September. The union says that no agreement was reached during the latest talks with the group on 30 August. In addition to compensation for real-terms wage losses, the union demands a "future-proof solution" for the remuneration structure across all affected pilots, says VC head of collective bargaining policy Marcel Grols. "In order to avoid industrial action, Lufthansa must present a significantly improved offer," Grols states, adding: "We are too far apart at the moment." Lufthansa says it offered VC basic monthly pay increases between 5% for captains at top salary grade and 18% for entry-level first officers for an 18-month period. The union's demands, Lufthansa asserts, include a 5.5% pay rise for the second half of this year and from January 2023 further increases above inflation. With additional demands for a new pay scale with higher base salaries and other benefits, Lufthansa estimates its cockpit payroll costs would grow "probably more than 40 percent" over the next two years. "Even without taking the financial consequences of the Covid crisis into account, this is not acceptable," the airline says. Beyond its proposed pay rises, Lufthansa says it is offering VC an opportunity to "jointly conclude a new perspective agreement" which would guarantee minimum fleet sizes for the mainline and cargo operation. Chief human resources officer Michael Niggemann states: "We cannot understand VC's call for a strike. The management has made a very good and socially balanced offer – despite the continuing burdens of the Covid crisis and uncertain prospects for the global economy." Lufthansa predicts a major disruption to its schedule on 2 September. Some 800 flights have been cancelled from the carrier's Frankfurt and Munich hubs. It warns that a number of flights may be cancelled today and on 3 and 4 September.