Turkish Mulls Leasing A380s from Malaysia

Malaysia Airbus A380-800

Reports have surfaced that Turkish Airlines (TK) is considering leasing two Airbus A380s from Malaysia Airlines (MH).

TK had previously been reported as being in negotiations with Airbus to acquire 10 or more of the superjumbo airliners.

The largest aircraft currently in TK's fleet is the Boeing 777-300ER (B773), configured to carry 337 passengers. MH's A380 is configured to hold 494 total.

Turkish 777-300ER

This may be a greatly beneficial move for both airlines. TK would have a quick and relatively easy way to acquire A380s for a "test drive" to see if its presence in the TK works with the airline's operations and expansion plans without a long term commitment. 

Financially-strapped MH, on the other hand, gets to offload the costs of a huge, expensive-to-operate aircraft it no longer needs. MH is in the midst of a intensive restructuring effort to bring the carrier out of massive operating losses, fueled in large part by the dramatic losses of two separate flights last year.

MH370 disappeared in March under mysterious circumstances, and MH17 was shot down over Ukraine-Russia border by parties unknown. There were a total of 537 souls on board the two flights.

One can't blame MH for offloading its flagship aircraft. A 6 aircraft order for A380s led to the downfall of Japanese low-cost carrier Skymark (BC), which recently declared bankruptcy in large part because it could not fulfill the order. 

Airbus is seeking a penalty payment of up to 70 billion JPY (US$589.5 million) for the canceled order, on top of the 26 billion JPY (US$21.9 million) already paid by BC.

Small Bites: 1st VNA A350 Going in for Paint Job; Thai Cuts Routes, Fleet; Jetstar Employees Arrested for Stealing Fuel

A rendering of a VNA A350

Vietnam Airlines' (VNA's) first Airbus A350-900 (A359) is fully assembled and will be heading into the paint shop on Wednesday. Delivery is slated for late in the 2nd quarter of 2015.

(H/T Flyertalk user AlexMills93)

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A Thai Airways A380

Thai Airways (TG), currently in a financial crisis, has made further cuts to routes from its homebase in Bangkok (BKK) to Paris, London, and Frankfurt. This is part of a rehabilitation plan embarked by TG to prevent falling into bankruptcy. Also included in the plan is decommissioning of 44 aircraft from its fleet of 141, including the accelerated retirement of its Airbus A340-600s (A346s). TG also regrets ordering the Airbus A380.

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Photo source // Thanh Nien News

Several Jetstar Pacific (BL) employees have been arrested for stealing thousands of liters of jetfuel over the course of two years from Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN), and then reselling it after mixing it with diesel. Police recovered 5,800 liters of the stolen fuel.

Small Bites: Thai VietJet to Start in March; New Plane for VietJet; Car Crashes Into Crowd at SGN

Thai VietJet Air (V9) will begin scheduled passenger service in March 29, after previously launching with charter services. The offshoot of VietJet Air (VJ) will operating new Airbus A320s (A320) with 180-seats in an all-economy configuration. The A320s will be supplied by parent VJ, as part of their 100-aircraft order with Airbus from 2013.

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Speaking of VJ, it just took delivery on Friday of its second A320 from its 2013 order, bringing its fleet total to 21 aircraft. The first 19 planes were acquired through leases.

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On Wednesday, a car waiting to pick up a passenger lost control and injured 11 people as it plowed forward. The driver, for reasons unclear, reported that he mistook the brake pedal for the accelerator. The passenger, singer/model Ho Ngoc Ha, was not injured and visited victims in the hospital. The investigation is ongoing.

Korean Air Plane Clips Another in While Taxiing in Yangon, Takes Off Before Returning

A Korean Air Airbus A330-200, the same
aircraft type that was involved in the
collision incident in Yangon.

A Korean Air Lines (KE) plane clipped a Bangkok Airways (PG) aircraft while taxiing away from its gate for a Thursday night departure from Yangon, Myanmar (RGN) to Seoul, South Korea (ICN). 

There were no injuries reported among the 134 passengers and 11 crew on board.

The wingtip of the KE Airbus A330 made contact with the parked PG plane as it passed by. The pilots were not aware of the contact due to darkness, and no alarms were triggered in the flight deck. With no fault indications, the flight crew continued their departure rollout and took off.

However, ground personnel did see the collision and reported the occurrence to the control tower. The pilots were advised of the situation after about approximately 20 minutes in the air and they chose to return to Yangon.

Passengers were rebooked onto a flight the next afternoon.

Passenger Fined US$187 for Smoking on a VNA Flight; Is That Enough?

An Australian-Vietnamese passenger was fined ₫4 million (US$187) for smoking in a lavatory on board a Vietnam Airlines (VNA) flight inbound from Australia.

The incident happened Wednesday on flight VN772 from Sydney (SYD) to Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN).

The flight crew was alerted when the smoke detector in the lavatory was triggered. Flight attendants then found the passenger, Ta Ngoc Tuan, in the lavatory with an open pack of cigarettes and smoking.

The maximum fine that can be imposed in Vietnam is ₫5 million (US$237).

Vietnam is trying to earn the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) approval to start direct flights to the U.S., but the aviation safety standards in Vietnam have so far not passed muster.

This low fine is one of the symptoms of the lax civil aviation system in Vietnam. Even the Southern Airports Authority (SAA), which levied the penalty, admitted that the fines were not high enough to deter smoking on board, and this latest incident was the second documented case this year.

I do find it curious that after stating that fact, the SAA still did not levy the maximum penalty.

Read more: Boeing Signs Memo with CAAV, Pledges to Help Start Direct Vietnam-US Flights

But beyond that point, while a possible US$237 fine may be steep to some, it pales in comparison to other countries' penalties. Punishment for the same violation in the United States can be up to US$5,000 (₫106,650,000), along with immediate arrest and possible prison time.

Image source: Wikipedia

Why is this such a big issue for the airlines and aviation authorities? Most would point to the incident involving Varig Flight 820, where the cause of a fire was suspected to be a cigarette butt that was discarded in the lavatory waste bin and ignited the contents. The fire subsequently lead to a crash landing in a field, where the aircraft was consumed by flames.

Of the total 134 persons on board, only 11 survived. Many of the 123 deaths occurred before the crash due to smoke inhalation.

The civil aviation authorities in Vietnam should have the means to deter seemingly minor violations such as smoking in the lavatory, and a maximum find of a couple of hundred dollars just isn't going to cut it.

Combine that with the cultural phenomenon in Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia of people sneaking into public restrooms to skirt no-smoking policies for a quick smoke. This behavior may be a mere nuisance on the ground in a coffee shop, but can have catastrophic effects while in-flight. The fines must be steep enough to alter behavior that many consider to be "normal."

I'm glad this passenger was punished, but am disappointed that the SAA did not levy the maximum fine allowed, and very concerned that the fines overall are so little.

I would bet the FAA shares the same concerns.

Do you think the fine was high enough? Too much? Just right? Leave a comment below!

Vietnam Airlines' Inaugural 787-9 Flight to London-Heathrow on June 29

The inaugural international service for Vietnam Airlines' (VNA's) new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (B789) is currently scheduled to be on June 29, 2015, flying from Hanoi (HAN) to London's Heathrow Airport (LHR).

This replaces service currently flown on VNA's Boeing 777-200ER (B772).

Flight VN055 will depart HAN at 12:30am for an overnight flight, arriving at LHR at 6:40am.

Read more: Vietnam Airlines' Boeing 787: New Lie-Flat Seats in Business, 2 Different Economy Configurations

The first return flight, VN054, will depart from LHR at 2:45pm on June 29, and arrive back at HAN the next day at 7:50am.

Then on June 30, the B789 will operate a revenue domestic flight for repositioning, Flight VN237 from HAN to Saigon (SGN), departing at 10:00am and landing at 12:05pm.

The first B789 flight out of SGN will depart early on July 1 at 12:05am and arrive at LHR at 6:40am the same day.

Read more: Vietnam Airlines: In-Flight Wi-Fi to be Available on New 787, A350 Aircraft

It seems that while the equipment information has been loaded, VNA is using their B772 seatmaps as placeholders, so if while one can select a seat on a flight scheduled to be on a B789, it's very likely to change.

A screenshot of the seatmap that appears on the LHR routes operated by the B789,
though it's clearly the configuration for the B772. Image source: Reader Andrew R.

A blog reader reports that he was able to select a business class seat on the map, even though he is currently booked in a premium economy seat. I cautioned him to:

• Recheck for new seat assignments when VNA loads the final B789 seatmap into the system; and,
• Prepare to ask for a refund, since the first 4 B789s are slated to arrive with no deluxe economy seating.

(H/T: Andrew R.)

Boeing Signs Memo with CAAV, Pledges to Help Start Direct Vietnam-US Flights

Vietnamese carriers are prohibited from flying directly to the US until the CAAV receives the FAA's "Category 1" designation, which is based on meeting ICAO standards around safety and oversight. VNA has a stated goal of eventually flying from SGN to LAX and will have the aircraft to fly it, but no current authority to do so.

Signing ceremony. Image source: US Department of State

The Boeing Company and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) recently signed a Memorandum of Collaboration, with the goal of guiding Vietnam towards receiving the "Category 1" designation from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which would allow Vietnamese airlines to begin flying their aircraft into US airports.

The only Vietnamese carrier currently with international long-haul service is Vietnam Airlines (VNA), which has stated its desire to start direct flights from Tan Son Nhat Airport in Saigon (SGN) to Los Angeles (LAX) as soon as 2016.

VNA's main domestic competitor, Vietjet Air (VJ), has stated that it will not start long-haul services for several years.

Read more: VietJet Air wants to grow aggressively, gets money to do it, needs even more money

At a ceremony in Hanoi attended by both Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong and US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius, representatives from the CAAV and Boeing pledged to work closely together to achieve the coveted CAT-1 status.

CAT-1 status is attained by a nation's civil authority when it meets standards set forth by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Such standards include an evaluation of overall safety, legislation, enforcement, and oversight.

Vietnam is not currently listed on the FAA's evaluation results because of the lack of air service to the US; this gives Vietnam a "Category 2" rating by default, preventing the launch of air service directly to the United States.

Additionally, an ICAO audit in 2007 found that Vietnam's civil aviation system had glaring deficiencies, to the point that the European Union (EU) was considering banning VNA and other Vietnamese carriers from flying in EU airspace.

While this memorandum is non-binding on the parties and the FAA, it does emphasize Boeing's active role in aiding the CAAV undertake and complete corrective measures, and highlights the aircraft manufacturer's view of Vietnam as a major growth market in commercial aviation.

While its current fleet of Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s do not have the range to make the SGN-LAX flight nonstop, VNA is poised to take delivery of two new advanced and efficient aircraft types, the Boeing 787-9 (B789) and Airbus A350-900 (A359), in the next few months to replace the current long-haul fleet.

Read more: Vietnam Airlines' Boeing 787: New Lie-Flat Seats in Business, 2 Different Economy Configurations

SGN-LAX is approximately 8,169 miles.
The shaded area is beyond the
B789's range.
Image source: Great Circle Mapper.

Both the B789s and A359s have the range to reach most of the US and all of Canada.

In recent years, diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States have warmed significantly. Vietnam has had a long-standing desire to connect the country to the largest populations of Vietnamese abroad. Efforts to convince overseas Vietnamese to come to their homeland have included the relaxing of travel visa requirements, the implementation of visa waivers, and the facilitation of travel for those wishing to conduct business and commerce in Vietnam.

Over 270,000 people in the greater Los Angeles area identify themselves as Vietnamese or of Vietnamese heritage, with half that population in Orange County alone.

Overall, there are more than 1.5 million Vietnamese living in the US. Other top Vietnamese populations centers are in Northern California Bay Area (over 181,000), Texas (Dallas and Houston metro areas, over 174,000), Washington, DC (over 57,000), and Seattle (over 55,000).

Failing to meet ICAO standards has had a long-reaching effect on Vietnamese aviation, beyond not securing the FAA's CAT-1 designation.

Transport Canada also prohibits Vietnamese carriers from flying into Canadian airports. There are over 220,000 living in Canada who claim a Vietnamese lineage.

Vietnam has invested heavily in aviation infrastructure, including the opening of a new US$645 million international terminal at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport (HAN), new terminals at smaller airports like Vinh, and a completely new airport on Phu Quoc (PQC) Island to allow larger aircraft to land.

But recent lapses, such as a power outage at an air traffic control center that left airspace around SGN unmonitored for over an hour, give the ICAO and FAA cause for concern.

Vietnam Airlines Livery and Branding Gets Minor Refreshening

Ahead of its landmark deliveries of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 widebody aircraft, VNA's corporate identity receives first updating since 2002.

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No. VN-A146 pictured, in new livery.
Image source: Long Ethan

Vietnam Airlines (VNA) has been quietly working behind the scenes on its rebranding effort, but the first photos of their updated livery have surfaced thanks to some planespotters.

At least 2 of VNA's Boeing 777-200ERs (B772s), reg. nos. VN-A143 and VN-A146, have been sighted with a new paint job, and it looks pretty sharp.

You can see the current livery (I call this "current" because VNA hasn't officially announced the corporate rebranding yet) next to the new livery below:

VNA's current livery (left) and new livery (right).
Image source: Long Ethan

The differences:

• Gone is the battleship gray belly, replaced with a much more sleek white.
• The straight cheat line has been given some curves, and uses VNA's secondary color, gold.
• The tail logo has been enlarged, and actually continues onto the fuselage.
• The logos have been removed from the engine nacelles.

This livery will undoubtedly appear on VNA's new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners (B789) and Airbus A350-900 (A359), both due to be delivered later this year. 

Read more: Vietnam Airlines' Boeing 787: New Lie-Flat Seats in Business, 2 Different Economy Configurations

I like the refreshed look, it keeps to VNA's popular livery while making it more modern and sophisticated, and the current long haul fleet is in desperate need of some TLC. Check out the same aircraft (VN-A146) before it received the new paint job (enlarge it to see how bad it really is):

Image source: Szabo Dani/Airliners.net

What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Comment below!

79 Pilot Trainees in Limbo in California After Their Flight School Closes

Flight school owner disappears in October and leaves pilot trainees with no reaccommodation, after FAA suspended accreditation to Ahart Aviation of Livermore, CA. 

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Image source: Yelp

Seven-nine pilot trainees from Vietnam are in a bind after their flight school shut down following the suspension of its FAA accreditation and the owner, Minh Duc Nguyen, disappeared.

Read more: 8 Simple Tips for Preventing Theft on Your Next Flight

Ahart Aviation in Livermore, CA, shuttered its doors in last October, much to the dismay of the students, who each paid at least US$80,000 in tuition to attend the school and earn certification as a commercial pilot.

Twenty-one of the students were sent by low-cost carrier Vietjet Air.

Vietnam's Minister of Transport has called on Vietnam Airlines (VNA) to assist the trainees. In response, VNA has offered to cover half the cost of tuition for the trainees to attend other flight schools, as well as help in job placement upon the trainees' return to Vietnam.

A review of Ahart's online ratings on Yelp shows that customer dissatisfaction immediately ensued following the Nguyen's acquisition of Ahart from the previous owner, Bill Komanetski, with allegations of catering only to foreign students and no notice to current patrons of the shutdown.

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Minh Duc Nguyen is encouraged to contact the Alameda County (CA) District Attorney's Office at +1 (510) 272-6222,

Read more: Vietnam Airlines' Boeing 787: New Lie-Flat Seats in Business, 2 Different Economy Configurations

Vietnam Airlines: In-Flight Wi-Fi to be Available on New 787, A350 Aircraft

VNA to introduce Wi-Fi on the newest planes first, with plans to expand "on a wide scale" later.

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Vietnam Airlines (VNA) intends to introduce in-flight high-speed wireless Internet access on its fleet, starting with the introduction of the newest aircraft to be delivered later this year.

New deliveries of Boeing 787-9s Dreamliners (B789s) and Airbus A350-900s (A359s) will come with the equipment to deliver Wi-Fi already installed. The current fleet of aircraft will have to have the hardware retrofitted, which will cost tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of US dollars per aircraft.

Read more: Vietnam Airlines' Boeing 787: New Lie-Flat Seats in Business, 2 Different Economy Configurations

VNA's CEO Pham Ngoc Minh indicated that access on international flights will cost US$15-20 per flight, with the possibility of no-charge access on domestic sectors.

This indeed would be welcome news to many travelers, especially to those in the ever-important business segment. On the heels of learning about lie-flat business class seats on the B789, this news makes VNA's willingness to invest in passenger comfort even more impressive.

Would you pay to use inflight Wi-Fi if offered on VNA? Does Wi-Fi make you more likely to fly on VNA? Comment below!

Vietnam Airlines to move London operations to Heathrow on March 31

SkyTeam flyers will soon have another comfortable option to Southeast Asia

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It took 7 years, but Vietnam Airlines (VNA) has finally secured slots at London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) and will shift its operations away from Gatwick Airport (LGW) beginning on March 31, 2015.

Image source: SkyTeam

VNA will be located in LHR's Terminal 4 with other SkyTeam alliance partners and giving Golden Lotus Plus (GLP) Platinum, SkyTeam Elite Plus, and premium class flyers access to the wonderful joint SkyTeam Lounge at LHR.

VNA has been flying to LGW since 2011. The 4-times weekly London service, split between Saigon (SGN) and Hanoi (HAN), is currently operated by the aging Boeing 777-200ER (B772) fleet, but will eventually see VNA's new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (B789) plying the route, with an eventual buildup to daily service.

An additional frequency from HAN will be added when VNA moves to LHR.

Read more: Vietnam Airlines' Boeing 787: New Lie-Flat Seats in Business, 2 Different Economy Configurations

With the introduction of B789 service comes modern, lie-flat seats in business class, as well as a revamped economy cabin. However, premium economy will be not be available, at least initially, as VNA will receive its leased B789s first, which will not be equipped with a Deluxe Economy section.

VNA had previously announced its intention to begin revenue B789 service on July 1, but I feel that's a bit optimistic... I think August is a more realistic timeline.

Vietnam Airlines' first Airbus A350 in final assembly

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Image source: Airbus

VNA is due to receive its first new Airbus A350-900 (A359) sometime in mid-2015, with an expected September 30 launch between Hanoi (HAN) and Paris (CDG). VNA will be the first carrier in Asia, and the 2nd airline overall after Qatar Airways, to take delivery of the A350, and has plans to acquire 10 total as part of its fleet renewal and expansion plan.

Most of the major structural assembly was completed in October of 2014. and cabin outfitting was ongoing.

Read more: Vietnam Airlines' Boeing 787: New Lie-Flat Seats in Business, 2 Different Economy Configurations

Image source: Airbus

It's expected that the A359 will feature the same seats as on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (B789), most notably the much-praised Cirrus seats from Zodiac Aerospace for business class.

VNA has not made any official announcements regarding interior configuration.