The US military has confirmed one of its planes crashed in eastern Afghanistan on Monday. Col Sonny Leggett said: "While the cause of crash is under investigation, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire." The aircraft crashed in Deh Yak district, Ghazni province, an area with a strong Taliban presence. It is unclear how many people were on board. Col Leggett denied Taliban claims that additional aircraft had crashed. Taliban social media accounts have posted unverified footage showing a burnt-out plane with US Air Force markings. The video shows a Bombardier E-11A - the type of jet used by the US Air Force for electronic surveillance over Afghanistan. Afghan authorities had initially said the crash plane belonged to state-owned airline Ariana, but the company quickly said all its planes were accounted for. While helicopters have proven vulnerable and accident-prone in Afghanistan, the loss of a US fixed-wing aircraft is relatively rare. But the Taliban are not believed to have the sorts of anti-aircraft missiles needed to bring down a high-flying aircraft. The plane involved is an E-11A, one of only four in the whole US Air Force. Essentially it is an adapted Bombardier executive jet, chosen for its ability to fly at high altitude and with extended range. It is packed with electronics: its job is to enable better communications between air and ground forces, and between different types of aircraft operating in difficult terrain or using incompatible data links. It is a bit like the wi-fi range extender that you install in a room with a poor signal. The aircraft - along with similar electronics mounted on unmanned systems - have played an important role in the Afghan conflict, where the mountainous landscape is a major problem for modern military communications.

Source: BBC

India’s government is seeking expressions of interest from investors following its approval, in principle, for the divestment of flag-carrier Air India – with the entire share capital on offer, along with the whole of Air India Express and 50% of its handling joint venture AISATS. Financial services specialist EY has been appointed to advise and manage the proposed transaction. Air India’s authorised capital – as of November last year – stood at Rp350 billion ($4.9 billion) and its paid-up share capital amounts to Rp326.6 billion with all the shares held by the president of India. The formal preliminary information memorandum for the divestment states that Air India, along with Air India Express, has a 50.6% share of international Indian traffic among domestic carriers and an 18.4% share including other global operators. It adds that the Star Alliance company has 98 destinations, of which 56 are domestic, and offers 75 others through its codeshares. The document details the carriers’ fleets and gives an overview of the Indian airline market as well as the country’s ground-handling market. It sets out the proposed reallocation of debt and liabilities from the date that any divestment transaction closes. The document says the debt to be retained in Air India and Air India Express will remain at Rp232.86 billion. There will be no reallocation of debt and liabilities of AISATS. Through the publishing of the memorandum the government is providing interested bidders – whether individuals or members of a consortium – with information on the company and instructions for submitting an expression of interest. These expressions must be put forward by 17 March. Bidders have the option to access the “virtual data room” as well as confidential information. Interested bidders shortlisted after this first stage will be permitted to participate in the second stage, through which they will receive a request for proposals, continued access to the virtual data room, and other information. "The [qualifying bidders] will be required to undergo a transparent bidding process for the proposed transaction,” says the memorandum. Qualified bidders who participate in the financial bid submission will be required to apply for a security clearance process, to which the completion of the transaction will be subject. The highest bidder in compliance with the terms of the request for proposals will be considered the confirmed selected bidder. Air India has interests in other entities, including its engineering services division, all of which are being transferred to a separate company – Air India Assets Holding – and will not be part of the divestment.


Source: Cirium

German carrier Condor is to be taken over by the owner of LOT Polish Airlines. Condor, formerly a subsidiary of Thomas Cook Group, says its merger with LOT within Polska Grupa Lotnicza (PGL) will create "one of the leading aviation groups in Europe". Under its new ownership, it adds, Condor will "focus on further growth in Germany and neighboring markets" and become "the central pillar of the PGL tourism strategy and thus one of the leading European holiday airlines". The management team will remain in place and Condor will also retain its brand, while benefiting from "enhanced connectivity and operational synergies", it says. A bridging loan provided by German bank KfW – and guaranteed by the German federal government and the state of Hesse – will be repaid in full, says Condor. Rafal Milczarski, chief executive of PGL as well as LOT, states that the Condor takeover "fits perfectly" with the Polish group's strategy. The deal "secures the future of Condor" and "offers its employees, customers and partners stability and a great perspective", he adds. He indicates that the new owners will develop the Condor brand in Germany and also "introduce it to other European markets". Condor chief Ralf Teckentrup describes PGL and LOT as "stable, experienced and dynamically developing partners" and reassures customers that they can "safely plan their vacation flights with Condor". The merged airlines will have annual passenger numbers in excess of 20 million, says Condor, which expects the transaction to be completed in April once antitrust approvals have been secured and the German carrier has completed the "protective shield procedure" begun following the demise of Thomas Cook. PGL has an 80-strong fleet, including 15 Boeing 787s, and generated turnover of around €1.9 billion ($2.1 billion) in 2019. Condor, which Cirium fleets data lists as having 55 aircraft in service, meanwhile notched sales of €1.7 billion last year, making an operating profit of €57 million. Lazard and Pekao acted as investment banks, and White & Case as legal adviser, to PGL. Rothschild & Co was Condor's investment bank, and Noerr its legal adviser.

Source: Cirium