An Airbus A321 operated by Vietnamese low-cost carrier VietJet Air has suffered a runway excursion landing at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International airport. Images obtained by FlightGlobal indicate that the aircraft (VN-A657, MSN8215) plowed through several metres of muddy ground before coming to a stop, with the right-side of its main undercarriage nearly buried in mud. The outer layer of its right-side tyre also appears to have been sheared off. The aircraft’s right-side CFM International CFM56 engine is also resting in the mud. Images suggest rainy, wet conditions in Ho Chi Minh City, and the weather data for the airport for the time of the arrival lists rain showers, with thunderstorm activity and gusting winds in the vicinity. The aircraft appears to have conducted its approach to runway 25L. NOTAM information for the airport states that 25L/07R is not available for departures or arrivals, owing to the “disabled aircraft” on the runway. The aircraft had just operated flight VJ322 from Phu Quoc island in the south. ”The airplane, passengers and crew are all safe,” says VietJet. ”All passengers were disembarked and transferred to the airport’s arrival terminal as normal.” Cirium fleets data indicates that VN-A657 was delivered in March 2018, and is managed by China’s CCB Financial Leasing.

Source: Cirium

Lufthansa Group has outlined plans to cut the equivalent of 22,000 full-time jobs, half of which will be in Germany, and operate 100 fewer aircraft as it recovers from the effects of the Covid-19 crisis. The airlines met with representatives of three of its trade unions on 10 June and has set a goal of reaching agreement on the proposed job cuts by 22 June. The airline says its aim is to "avoid dismissals as far as possible by means of short-time work and crisis agreements". "Without a significant reduction in personnel costs during the crisis, we will miss the opportunity of a better restart and risk Lufthansa Group [emerging] considerably weakened after it," states Lufthansa labour director Michael Niggemann. He adds that "personnel overhang is likely to become even larger", in which case "implementing unilateral measures" would become inevitable. "We want to avoid this scenario. That is why we are doing everything we can to achieve concrete results with our collective bargaining partners by 22 June," says Niggemann. Lufthansa Group chief Carsten Spohr has asked for "flexibility" from unions and said earlier this month that he wanted to negotiate labour concessions before an extraordinary general meeting on 25 June. During that meeting, shareholders will make a decision on the €9 billion ($10.2 billion) financial support package Lufthansa agreed with the German government in May.

Source: Cirium

Transat AT, the parent company of Canadian holiday specialist Air Transat, says its merger with Air Canada is still on track and now due to close in the fourth quarter of 2020. Montreal-based Transat says on 11 June that it is “firmly committed to completing the transaction”. But, it adds that factors “beyond its control” and related to the global coronavirus pandemic have delayed the tie-up, which received overwhelming approval by shareholders last year. Originally, the merger with fellow Montreal-headquartered Air Canada had been scheduled to close in the second quarter. “The market conditions of the global industry have been completely transformed. Among other things, the vast majority of North American, European and international air carriers have announced reductions in capacity and requested financial assistance measures,” Transat writes on 11 June. “This could impact the possibility of reaching an agreement with regulatory authorities regarding an appropriate package of remedies aimed at obtaining the necessary approvals.” The merger has been under scrutiny for quite some time from various regulatory agencies. The European Commission announced on 25 May that it will undertake an in-depth investigation that will not be complete until at least October. In March, Canada’s competition watchdog, the Competition Bureau of the government of Canada, also said it was taking a closer look at the transaction after expressing “competition concerns”. “If the required approvals are obtained and the conditions are met, it is now expected that the arrangement will be completed during the fourth quarter of the 2020 calendar year,” Transat says. “Under the arrangement agreement, the deadline for obtaining the regulatory approvals cannot be extended beyond December 27, 2020.” Last August, Transat’s shareholders approved Air Canada’s C$720 million ($530 million) takeover bid for the company. That calculates out to C$18 per share. The transaction, if approved, would merge the number one and number three airlines in the Canadian market. Calgary-based WestJet, Canada’s second-largest airline, said earlier this year it was watching the transaction closely, fearing the merger would skew competition to overseas destinations. Earlier this month, reports emerged in French-Canadian media that Air Canada was looking to exit the deal due to liquidity issues following the sharp decline in demand as the coronavirus brought air travel to a near-standstill in April. These reports were not confirmed. Transat also says on 11 June that it expects to resume flights and tour operator activities on 23 July, pending the easing of travel restrictions in the countries to which it flies. It suspended operations on 1 April. The airline anticipates it will fly a reduced schedule until the end of October, service 20 destinations, including 13 in Europe, five in the United States, Mexico and Caribbean, as well as some domestic connections. It will then expand its schedule with additional frequencies and destinations “based on border openings and de-confinement measures in place”.

Source: Cirium