The incident occurred on July 3, 2024 at around 16:04 local time.  Flight BR395 was preparing for takeoff to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) in Taipei, and was taxiing when the aircraft精东影业 left wing hit a lighting pole.

The collision caused the pole to collapse, denting the aircraft精东影业 left wing.

Photographs of the incident were taken and posted on various social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter). The light pole can be seen on the ground next to the aircraft.

Airport authorities said that conditions on the runway during the incident, including weather, visibility and signals, were as normal.

Fortunately, the incident did not disrupt the flight精东影业 operation, and the aircraft was able to depart and arrive at TPE airport safely.

The B777-300ER was grounded for repair when it arrived in Taipei.聽

Caught on video: Brawl breaks out on EVA Air flight to San Francisco

• Aviation Safety

byJean Carmela Lim

2024-05-09

The second daily flight will commence from January 15, 2025. It will be operated using the carrier精东影业 Boeing 777-300ER fleet, which will have a two-class configuration with 42 seats in Business Class and 386 seats in Economy Class.

The flights are scheduled to operate on the following schedules:

EK364 departing Dubai at 04:00, arriving at Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 13:55 

EK365,  departing Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 18:25, arriving at Dubai 22:55 on the same day (all times are local).

Originally planned for February 1, 2025, Emirates has said that this additional flight is strategically timed to meet the surge in demand around the Lunar New Year festival, which falls on January 29, 2025.

Exploring the use of robotics and automation to enhance airport ground handling

• Aviation Technology and Innovation

byJean Carmela Lim

2024-07-06

The airline has faced operational difficulties for several years. In 2022, the company incurred a loss of nearly VN膼2.1 trillion (US$84.5 million) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has struggled to return to profitability in the period since.  

In a process that started on March 18, 2024, the airline has warned passengers that many of its flights will be unavailable but that 鈥渘ew flight schedules will be assigned to ensure stable operation鈥�. Under the plan, the carrier is expected to return its entire fleet of leased Airbus A320s to lessors.  

It is believed that passengers will be reprotected onto flights operated by Pacific Airlines鈥� parent company Vietnam Airlines in the short term to provide some continuity of operations for affected passengers. Pacific Airlines has also said that any changes implemented will be 鈥渄esigned and carried out to protect customer rights and benefits.鈥澛犅�

According to the airline, under the restructuring plan, Pacific Airlines will eventually lease aircraft from Vietnam Airlines to enhance its operational efficiency and optimize the usage of available resources within the Vietnam Airlines Group. With the two companies currently finalizing these arrangements, the leased aircraft are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.  

In addition to the supply of aircraft, the restructured carrier will also receive support from Vietnam Airlines with the sharing of infrastructure and customer services, such as check-in counters and airport shuttles. 

According to 膼inh Vi峄噒 Th岷痭g, Director of Vietnam精东影业 Civil Aviation Administration, Pacific Airlines will dry lease three aircraft from its parent company initially, although will supply its own crews, maintenance, and insurance when it recommences operations.  

鈥淭his activity is necessary for Pacific Airlines to recover effectively, adapt to the new environment, and develop in the future,鈥� he said. 

An airline spokesperson told Vietnam News that 鈥淓nterprise restructuring is among the effective self-help solutions applied by many airlines around the world and in Vietnam to deal with the severe consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.鈥�   

History/Background  

Ho Chi Minh-based Pacific Airlines began operations in 1991, initially flying charter and cargo services. Between 1996 to 2005, the airline operated under the government-owned Vietnam Airlines Group umbrella before it came under the full control of Vietnam精东影业 federal government. In 2007, the Vietnamese government sold a 30% shareholding to Australian carrier Qantas and in May 2008 the carrier rebranded as Jetstar Pacific.聽聽

In February 2012, Vietnam Airlines Group purchased a 70% stake in the company and in 2020, Qantas sold its remaining stake in Jetstar Pacific to the Vietnam Airlines Group and with that sale completed, the carrier returned to its former brand name of Pacific Airlines to operate as the budget arm of the national carrier.  

According to ch-aviation, the carrier operates a fleet of eight leased A320s with an average age of 8.4 years and accommodating up to 186 passengers in a single-class configuration. The aircraft are leased from lessors Aviation Capital Group (five), Wings Capital Partners (two), and CALC (one).聽聽

Exploring the use of robotics and automation to enhance airport ground handling

• Aviation Technology and Innovation

byJean Carmela Lim

2024-07-06

In an announcement on July 21, 2023, SkyDrive confirmed that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Vietnamese firm CT UAV. 

CT UAV is a subsidiary of CT Group, a multi-business group in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, that develops various kinds of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technologies. 

The news comes just a day after SkyDrive announced its first United States based sale for five eVTOL aircraft with charter operator Austin Aviation, a subsidiary of Lowcountry Aviation Company.聽

In November 2022, secured a pre order for 100 aircraft with Pacific Group which is also located in Vietnam.聽聽

In Vietnam, significant traffic congestion is an everyday occurrence and eVTOL aircraft is seen as a solution to travelling around crowded cities. 

SkyDrive and CT UAV will evaluate commercial eVTOL considerations such as vertiports, routes and network planning, infrastructure requirements, and ecosystems with interested stakeholders. 

SkyDrive was formally established in July 2018 after testing flying car concepts and prototypes from 2014.  

Its eVTOL aircraft, named SkyDrive SD-05, is a three-seater (one pilot and two passengers) vehicle and will travel approximately 15 km.   

The commercial aircraft will debut in 2025 at the Expo 2024 in Osaka, Japan.聽聽

Japan精东影业 SkyDrive secures first US pre-order for five eVTOL aircraft

• Aircraft
• Sustainability

byIan Molyneaux

2023-07-20

An Australian DJ was stunned by the unexpected turn of events that forced him to 鈥榣ive鈥� in Vietnam精东影业 Ho Chi Minh airport (SGN) simply because of a missing transit visa. 

Sydney-based Levi Neufeld, who is also a social media influencer, was booked on a Dubai flight for a gig. He flew from Sydney International Airport (SYD) to SGN Airport and had a stopover in India (airport unknown) before Dubai International Airport (DBX).

However, instead of spinning tracks, Neufield was stopped in his tracks when he reached India, where he was told that he needed a transit visa even if his stopover was only for four hours and he had no plans of leaving the airport.

In a series of Instagram story clips, a visibly exhausted and stressed Neufield relayed that when Indian authorities found he did not have a transit visa, he was immediately put on a flight back to Ho Chi Minh.

Neufield said that when he reached Ho Chi Minh, his passport was immediately taken from him.

鈥淭hey are making me stay here in Vietnam for 27 hours, a day and a bit,鈥� Neufeld said via Instagram stories.

He said authorities could only book him a flight back to Australia the following evening, so he had to stay in a transit area within the airport.

Neufeld, known for his brief stint on talent show The Voice as the ‘hot door guy’ and appearing as best man on reality show Married At First Sight, was gutted to have missed his gig, and decided to document his unexpected airport stay via social media. 

At the beginning, Neufeld appeared good natured about his fate, gamefully reviewing food choices inside the airport lounge that he was allowed to stay at. 

As his airport stay went on though, Neufeld said it was beginning to 鈥渕entally affect鈥� him, saying that he is missing his 鈥渄og and the missus鈥�. 

Neufeld also likened his ordeal to that of Viktor Navorski, a character played by actor Tom Hanks from the 2004 film, 鈥淭he Terminal.鈥� In the film, Navorski was trapped inside New York精东影业 JFK airport when war broke out in his country. The movie draws inspiration from the experience of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, who spent a remarkable 18 years residing in Terminal 1 of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in France, from 1988 to 2006.

Neufeld even included a short snippet from the film where Navorski had to take a shower using the airport sink.

However, a succeeding clip from his Instagram stories showed Neufeld taking a 鈥渟hower鈥� using only wet wipes, as it appeared no toilet with proper bathing facilities were available. 

The following evening, Neufeld updated his followers that his flight back to Sydney had been delayed by another hour.

Eventually, Neufeld was able to get on a flight, but he said that due to his unique circumstance, his passport had to be kept by an airline staff, who will hand the document over to Australian immigration when the flight arrives in Sydney. 

Neufeld makes it back to Sydney, as he shows a clip of his dog welcoming him at SYD airport.

According to the , Australian nationals require a valid visa for entry into India, either as a tourist or in transit or in any other capacity.

Teen charged for taking ‘joyride’ on baggage carousel at Canberra Airport

• Airport

byJean Carmela Lim

2023-07-10

It marks the beginning of six weekly return flights to Vietnam from Australia, departing from SYD airport and Melbourne Airport (MEL), with flights from Brisbane Airport (BNE) to commence from June 2023.

The Sydney – Ho Chi Minh City flights are operated three times per week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Outbound flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Sydney will be flown on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The flights are operated on Vietjet精东影业 fleet of Airbus A330, with around nine hours of flight time.

VietJet joins Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar, and Vietnam精东影业 newest carrier Bamboo Airlines in offering direct services between Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh. 

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)精东影业 2021 Census, most of the 320,758 Vietnamese speakers in Australia resided in Victoria and New South Wales.

A milestone for Sydney Airport

Vietjet精东影业 inaugural flight also served as a milestone for Sydney Airport. 

鈥淔or the first time in our 103-year history, we have 50 airlines operating through the airport at the same time,鈥� the airport said in a tweet.

VietJet Air to launch Ho Chi Minh to Melbourne route by April 2023

• Airlines

byJean Carmela Lim

2023-01-11

According to more than 50 companies, including pharmaceutical and tech firms, will travel to Vietnam to seek opportunities for business in the future.

Vietnam is seen as a flourishing economy that has warm US relations, and a population of 100 million people.

The working trip is organised by the US-ASEAN Business Council annually and will see aviation and space executives arriving in Vietnam from March 21 to 23, 2023.

In 2022 a US-ASEAN Business Council organised trip to Cambodia was attended by the US President, Joe Biden.

“This is the biggest-ever mission in Vietnam,” Vu Tu Thanh, the US-ASEAN Business Council’s representative in the country, told Reuters.

Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Bell will reportedly hold meetings with state-owned Vietnamese defence companies.

In a statement to 精东影业 a spokesperson for Lockheed Martin said: 鈥淲e are participating in the Vietnam Business Mission, organized by the US-ASEAN Business Council, to explore ongoing support for the security of the Indo-Pacific and further expansion of our global partnerships.鈥�

Helicopter sales in Vietnam are understood to be a key growth area for the aerospace companies.

Boeing said in a statement to Reuters that it is looking for ways to help strengthen Vietnam精东影业 aviation and defence capabilities.

SpaceX is reportedly looking to advance its satellite internet services to Vietnam and other countries in the region.

Executive delegates will have the chance to meet and speak with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Non-aerospace companies attending the trip include Apple, Amazon, Pfizer and Coca-Cola.

精东影业 has contacted SpaceX and Bell Aviation for comment.

Iraqi Airways anticipates its 1st of 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliner delivery

• Airlines

by精东影业 Team

2023-03-19

The four flight attendants were on a flight duty (VN 10) from Paris鈥� Charles de Gaulles Airport (CDG) to SGN airport on March 16, 2023 when customs performed a security clearance check.

Customs officers found 11.4 kilograms of ecstasy and narcotics kept in 112 pieces of toothpaste tubes.

Image source: Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department, published on tuoitrenews.vn

identified the flight attendants as Dang Phuong Van, Tran Thi Thu Nga, Vo Tu Quynh and purser Nguyen Thanh Thuy.

The flight attendants said that someone in France paid them more than VND 10 million ($424), to help transport 鈥渟ome goods鈥� to Vietnam.

“Vietnam Airlines has received information about the detention of 4 flight attendants on flight number VN10 due to suspicion of carrying banned substances in the luggage,” Vietnam Airlines spokesperson Dang Tuan said in a statement seen by.

“Currently, they have been suspended from duty to help with the investigation,” the airline spokesperson added.

Under Vietnamese law, the production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or cocaine, or 300 grams of methamphetamine, can carry the death penalty.

The airline is currently cooperating with local police on the case investigation.

Vietnam Airlines releases statement about flight attendants held in Melbourne

• Airlines

byJean Carmela Lim

2022-06-20

The accident occurred when the Su-22 jet was landing at a military airfield located at Y锚n B谩i Air Base (VVYB) on January 31, 2023. According to a published by VnExpress the fighter-bomber pilot, identified as a 31-year-old Deputy Squadron 1 Commander, was participating in an Air Force Division 921 military exercise.

Moments before the crash, the pilot was ordered to parachute out of the aircraft. Unfortunately, he did not follow the order and attempted to take back control of the aircraft. According to the report, the plane crashed after encountering 鈥渁n issue鈥�.

Immediately after the fatal incident, the country精东影业 Ministry of National Defense launched an investigation to determine the exact cause.

Top 10 oldest fighter jets still in service

• Aviation Top 10s

by精东影业 Team

This is not the first time the Su-22 fighter-bomber has been involved in an incident in the country. In 2015, a Su-22 operated by Vietnamese forces ditched into the South China Sea. Fortunately, the pilots managed to safely eject from the plane. However, another accident involving the Su-22 jet resulted in the deaths of two pilots after the plane crashed in Vietnam in 2018.

The VPA aircraft fleet currently consists of Soviet Union-developed planes. The military pilots operate Sukhoi Su-30s, Sukhoi Su-27s, and Sukhoi Su-22, some of which have been in active service since 1979.

In a recent performance , VietJet Air said it expects to receive its first batch of MAX planes between 2024 and 2028. The air carrier confirmed that the first 50 jets will join the fleet of its subsidiary, Thai VietJet.  

鈥淰ietjet and Boeing agreed to revise the delivery schedule of 200 aircraft between 2024 and 2028 to fit the [airline精东影业, ed.-] growth and recovery after Covid-19 [pandemic, ed.-],鈥� VietJet explained. 

鈥淎s planned, the first 50 aircraft will be delivered to Thai Vietjet 鈥� a Vietjet精东影业 affiliate and one of the leading domestic airlines in Thailand. This agreement is an essential part of Vietjet精东影业 global strategy,鈥� the airline continued. 

Under the reaffirmed contract with VietJet, which was announced during the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2022, Boeing committed to supporting the carrier with the necessary technical assistance and training. The planemaker also agreed to support technology transfer and research and development services in order to ensure that the new MAX fleet operates efficiently. 

Boeing expects 737 MAX 10 certification in the first half of 2023: Report

• Civil Aviation

by精东影业 Team

2022-09-04

With the long-term aim of gradually expanding its international flight network, VietJet placed an initial order for 100 MAX planes, consisting of 80 Boeing MAX 10s and 20 MAX 8s, in 2016.  

Three years later, in 2019, the airline decided to double the order to 200 units. However, the manufacturer temporarily stopped production of the 737 MAX in January 2020 after the type was grounded across the globe due to a malfunctioning flight control system. The issue led to two aircraft crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2019. The deal between VietJet and Boeing was paused. 

As of September 12, 2022, operates a fleet consisting of 77 all-Airbus planes, including 18 A320-200s, 38 A321-200s, 19 A321neos, and two A330-300s, according to Planespotters.com data. Meanwhile, its subsidiary flies 16 Airbus family jets 鈥� six A320-200s and six A321-200 narrow-bodies. 

Huy Thoai / Shutterstock