Many airlines constantly invest in new and reliable aircraft. If a newly purchased or built aircraft sustains damage, it can have a detrimental effect on an airline’s bottom line as well as its reputation.

Barely one year old

This Airbus A321neo aircraft is registered to Air Transat. It was delivered to the airline on July 16th, this year. The first of two new Airbus A321neos received by the airline in 2018, both of which came through a lease agreement with AerCap.

On July 26th, Air Transat took to the skies with C-GOIR as a new passenger service from Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport to Nice Cote d’Azur Airport. C-GOIR is mostly used for long-haul flights and typically deploys for destination in the U.K., Spain, Portugal, Cuba, the Netherlands, Ireland and the Dominican Republic.

C-GOIR was grounded after operating its last commercial flight, TS 973. They then ferried it over to Vancouver International Airport, where the wreckage occurred on November 2.

Not a big jump

Air Transat’s spokesperson noted: The incident started when the C-GOIR was pushed back. Everything went as planned until the aircraft’s tow bar allegedly failed by breaking.

On Wednesday, November 2nd, an Air Transat plane experienced an incident where a tow bar broke as the aircraft was pushed back from the gate. Passengers were disembarked and quickly booked into another flight.

C-GOIR’s second incident is what changed the course of the situation. Air Transat just confirmed it, saying: “According to information provided by the crew,” and “Within minutes.”

The airplane was in a repair bay for inspection related to two prior incidents. It collided with another plane the next day, but the passengers were all off-loaded before the collision occurred.

A second incident involving a SnapTow tug leaped underneath the aircraft fuselage of a C-GOI and caused significant damage. Thankfully, there were no reports of injury to the aircraft or personnel. Pictures circulating on social media showed C-GOI with massive damage near its nose section, further reinforcing that these aircrafts are beautiful works of engineering but don’t necessarily possess an automatic shutoff system for mechanical difficulties.

The exact cause of the air tugs’ failure is still unknown, and speculations arose about the tow tug itself. Other speculations include differences in the tow bar pin or whether it was inserted properly.

Bottom Line

C-GOIR is a relatively damaged aircraft, so it has been grounded at Vancouver International Airport. It will take some time to fix the aircraft, but eventually they’ll finally be flying through blue skies again.