NEWS RELEASE: 10/09/2005 (inglês)

[AeroEntusiasta]

(Fonte: Ulrich Hope, via Lista AH)

AMERICA WEST and US AIRWAYS unveiled new aircraft livery for merged airline:

NORTHWEST AIRLINES mechanics went on strike on August 20 after rejecting airline's best-and-final offer; Northwest says it continues to operate its normal early-fall flight schedule and is using a combination of trained and licensed management, veteran technicians, and contract/vendor mechanics "to meet maintenance needs safely and reliably."

BOEING submitted first complete contract proposal to IAM, representing machinists in Puget Sound region. IAM said it fell well short on all top issues and is developing a counter-proposal; current contract expires September 1.

BOEING confirmed that the six unidentified 787s on its orderbook are from a leasing company; its other 143 firm orders have been placed by 10 airlines on five continents.

AIR UNIVERSAL, Jordan purchased four 747-200s with CF6-50E2s for delivery by end 2005: two (23407/23509) from Lufthansa (EVERGREEN AIR CENTER is performing D-Checks); and two (23501/23502) from ANA, Japan.

AVOLAR, Mexico City leased ex-British Airways 737-500 (24272) from BBAM, CA for startup (SPNWS, August 19).

FLYJET, UK agreed to lease ex-Cameroon Govt. 767-200ER (23624) with CF6-80A2s from Boeing Capital.

ORANGE AIR, Jordan purchased 747-200 (20929) with JT9D-7As from Pakistan Intl. Airlines for wet-leases.

RPK CAPITAL, IL purchased two ex-US Airways 737-300s (23741/23743) from Wachovia; Pembroke/SH&E arranged.

DAS AIR CARGO, Uganda leased ex-World Airways DC-10-30F (46541) with CF6-50C2s from FINOVA Capital.

ALLIANCE AIRLINES, Australia purchased ex-US Airways Fokker 100 (11345); it now has seven Fokker 100s.

SWIFTAIR, Spain purchased ex-Ryan International 727-200F (21442) from FINOVA Capital, AZ.

INTER AIRLINES, Turkey plans to lease two A321s for 4Q05/4Q06 to replace two 737-800s to be returned to lessors.

MAGIC BLUE, Netherlands leased two MD-83s (53149/53150) from Fly Air, Turkey for wet-leases.

ONE TWO GO (Orient Thai), Thailand acquired four ex-Continental MD-82s (49439/49441/49479/49485).

ASIAN EXPRESS AIRLINES, Australia leased 727-200F (22998) from Transmile Air Services, Malaysia.

ATI, AR purchased second ex-French AF DC-8-72F (46130) with CFM56s; Blosser Consulting Services arranged.

ESTAFETA CARGO, Mexico leased two ex-Bluebird 737-300Fs (23499/23500) from GECAS for 25 months.

MAXJET AIRWAYS, Dulles received FAA certification to begin operations, and plans immediately to begin charters with its ex-Qantas 767-200 (23896). It plans to start scheduled JFK-London Stansted by end of 2005.

GADAIR, Spain plans Nov. startup from Madrid/Paris to Libreville, Gabon and Douala, Cameroon with 767-200s.

KLM took delivery of its first of eight A330-200s; it has ordered six from Airbus and is leasing two from ILFC.

NORTHWEST has five 757-200s and one DC-10-30 parked out of total mainline fleet of 433 aircraft, basically it says due to strike schedule; it also has one 747-200 out of service while being converted to cargo by IAI BEDEK.

RUSSIAN FEDERAL SERVICE FOR TRANSPORT SUPERVISION grounded Il-96-300s citing construction and production issues; Aeroflot operates six, Domodedovo three, Kras Air two, Russian State two, and Atlant-Soyuz one.

OASIS INTL LEASING, Abu Dhabi completed $110m syndicated term loan and revolving credit facilities.

CIT GROUP opened an office in Dublin, Ireland to manage all international aspects of CIT AEROSPACE business.

WALSH AVIATION forecasts that Airbus and Boeing will deliver a total of 715 aircraft (390/325) in 2005, 875 (450/425) in 2006, and 1,000 (500/500) in 2007. Their combined backlog stood at 2,998 (1,575/1,423) on July 31.

US AIRWAYS issued RFP to Mesa Air Group, Air Wisconsin and Republic to operate up to 25 EMBRAER 190s.

TANS 737-200A (22580; built in 1981) crashed Aug. 23 near Pucallpa, Peru. It is industry's fifth major incident in Aug.

AIRBUS plans, after six years of R&D, to introduce friction stir welding for A340-500/600 longitudinal fuselage skin joints (to save .9 kg for each meter of panel joint); it expects certification in early 2007. It later plans to use FSW on A350 and says technique will enable design team to halve number of longitudinal fuselage panels from eight to four.

SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS, KS completed its first developmental composite barrel section (Section 41; 19-ft-wide x 24- ft-long) for 787; it plans to build two more test articles before producing initial production piece for delivery to Boeing in 2007. Spirit is also responsible for supplying pylons (to be built in Wichita) and wing leading edges (Tulsa) for 787.

TOLL HOLDINGS, Australia launched hostile takeover for remaining 95.7% of PATRICK CORP, which owns 62.4% of VIRGIN BLUE, for A$4.6b. It would reduce Virgin Blue stake to as little as 10%, including selling part to Branson.

MATLINPATTERSON GLOBAL ADVISORS, NY agreed to purchase 95% of VARIGLOG from Varig (pending bankruptcy court approval) for $38m, plus $50m receivables. It operates three DC-10-30Fs/two MD-11F/six 727Fs.

KOREAN AIR signed LOI to acquire an equity stake in OKAY AIRLINES, China, which leases two 737-900s from KAL; it is doing due diligence to determine price/terms. Chinese aviation regulations limit foreign ownership to 25%.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN received approval from US Department of Homeland Security for design of its Guardian Counter-MANPADS system for commercial aircraft. It is now finalizing fabrication and integration of pre-production prototypes to start operational testing on FEDEX MD-11F by end of August and on NORTHWEST 747 by end 2005.

AIRPORTS COUNCIL INTL (ACI) forecasts passenger traffic will grow 4.1% annually over next 15 years to >7.4b pax in 2020 vs 3.9b in 2004; cargo traffic is expected to grow 5.4% annually and aircraft movements 3.5% annually.

THE AIRLINE MONITOR forecasts delivery of 61,938 installed jet engines worth $385.5b in 2005-2025. Rolls-Royce is to hold 29.5% of market by value; GE 27.2%; CFMI 24.6%; IAE 9.6%; Pratt 4.9%; and The Engine Alliance 4.3%.

MORGAN STANLEY forecasts that operators in India could account for 200 aircraft deliveries (4-5% of industry total) through 2010. India currently accounts for 9% of combined Boeing/Airbus backlog and 15% of orders placed in 2005.

GE ENGINE SERVICES has 10-year Singapore Airlines contract for GE90-115B maintenance for 19 777-300ERs starting in 2006 under new OnPoint Solutions program; GE has not decided where to place work (will be in region).

UNITED SERVICES formed line maintenance network with EXECUTIVE AIR, CA; JETT CARE, CA; JET AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE, FL; and PEGASUS AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE, AK to expand its line maintenance capabilities from current 31 airports to over 50 worldwide. United Services has over 150 customers.

CTT SYSTEMS, Sweden was selected by Boeing to supply its Zonal Drying System as standard for the 787, plus humidifiers as option for flight deck and crew rests.

AVIATION PARTNERS BOEING received blended winglet orders from transavia.com, The Netherlands for 26 737NGs for installation by ATC LASHAM, UK; and from AirTran Airways for 15 737-700s leased from GECAS.

GOODRICH was selected by China Cargo Airlines to supply main deck/lower lobe cargo handling systems for two 747-400ERFs for 3Q06/3Q07; systems include mechanical systems, PDUs, electrical control systems and floor panels.

ROCKWELL COLLINS Airshow 4200 moving map system was approved by Boeing for 737, 747, 767 and 777.

CAE has C$16m order from the Zhuhai Flight Training Centre (joint venture between CAE and China Southern Airlines formed in 2003) for a 737-800 flight simulator; it is the 10th CAE simulator ordered by the facility.

AIRBUS says it plans to use single-piece composite inlet, developed by AIRCELLE for A380, on A350 to optimize airflow control to reduce noise; existing inlets are made of three panels whose overlapping joints create more noise.

SWISS lost CHF89m on CHF1.77b revenues in 1H05 vs CHF33m loss on CHF1.77b in 1H04; results include non-recurring income of CHF43m from transfer of slots at Heathrow to British Airways under mid-2004 agreement.

MALAYSIAN AIRLINE SYSTEM lost RM280.7m on RM2.77b revenues in first quarter ended June 30 vs RM26.6m profit on RM2.4b a year ago; its airline operations lost RM294.3m on RM2.32b revenues.

JAXA, Japan plans in 4Q05 to flight test an experimental supersonic jet to Mach 2 over Australia as precursor to developing 300-pax aircraft to fly at same speed under 3-year, $5.5m Japanese-French joint program that includes MITSUBISHI, FUJI, IHI, JAPAN AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENT, and KAWASAKI and EADS and SAFRAN.

GOLDMAN SACHS raised long-dated West Texas light crude price to $60/bbl ($15 investment risk premium) from $45/bbl. It also increased forecast for rest of 2005 to $67/bbl from $53.50/bbl and for 2006 to $68/bbl from $55/bbl.

UAL had $113m operating profit ($274m net loss) in July vs $51m in July 2004; it had $2.8b cash at end of July.

GATE GOURMET reached agreement with British Airways on new catering deal (avoiding Administration), to be finalized upon completion of new labor agreement between Gate Gourmet and Transport and General Workers Union; sides are negotiating dispute over dismissal of >600 employees who participated in mid-Aug. industrial action.

FERROVIAL, Spain agreed to purchase SWISSPORT INTL (ground handling) from Candover in deal worth Û646m.

AIA says net new orders for US aircraft and parts manufacturing industries were $74.5b ($57.6b civil) in 1H05 vs $54.9b ($34.2b) in 1H04; segment backlog was $183.3b ($135.4b civil) on June 30 vs $163.1b ($104.1b) a year ago.

AIRLINEFORECASTS, Washington, DC estimates that based on oil prices of $65 per barrel the top 13 US pax airlines would lose $3.5b total in 2006; based on $45/bbl, same 13 airlines would post $2.9b profit. New US Airways would lose $520m at $65/bbl and profit $381m at $45/bbl. It says fuel prices could easily move to $75/bbl in short run.

EXELTECH AEROSPACE, Montreal lost C$51k on C$9.6m revenues in first quarter ended June 30 vs C$462k profit on C$6.2m a year ago. Results included bad debt recovery of C$300k from sale by trustees of ex-Jetsgo Fokker 100; it is retaining possession of four other Jetsgo-owned Fokker 100s for payment of amounts owed for work on aircraft.

APS (Wencor) booked orders for digEplayer portable IFE units with Russia Jet Direct, IL for 120-pax 757-200ER operated by Ryan Intl. on Houston-Sakhalin, via Anchorage; and with MyTravel Airways, UK for up to five A330s.

SABRE AIRLINE SOLUTIONS has Japan Airlines order for AirMax Revenue Manager system for intl. operations.

SEAL DYNAMICS was named North American distributor for Donaldson/Le Bozec aftermarket filtration products.

AKRON, Belgium was named by ENDEVCO, CA as a non-exclusive distributor of its test/measurement products.

REMOTE VISION SOLUTIONS, Australia announced its InspectCam Laser Measurement System (SDMS) was specified by Boeing for inspection/measurement of fuselage skin damage; Qantas/Southwest/Goodrich use SDMS.

LUFTHANSA SYSTEMS has 10-year Ryanair contract to provide NetLine network planning solution.

AAWH (Atlas/Polar) flew 13,855 total block hours (operating fleet: 39 747Fs) in July vs 12,835 (36) in July 2004.

ROLLS-ROYCE NORTH AMERICAN TECHNOLOGIES, IN is new name for Allison Advanced Development Company (provides R&D for all Rolls-Royce businesses). For marketing purposes, it will also use the name "LibertyWorks."

BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE earned C$65m on C$1.96b revenues in second quarter ended July 31 (C$10.2b backlog) vs C$42m on C$1.95b a year ago (C$10.8b backlog). It delivered 39 regional aircraft, 41 business jets and one amphibian vs 52/29/0 a year ago, and recorded orders (net) for 13 regional aircraft and 49 business jets vs 27/30.

BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE is cutting monthly CRJ200 production from current 4.5 to 1.5 starting February 2006.

SKYWEST is to assume orders for 18 CRJ200s from DELTA as part of ASA acquisition, and then (combined with its 18 CRJ700s on order) plans to modify orders and convert options to receive 46 CRJs in 2005-2007: seven CRJ700s in 2005; six CRJ200s/23 CRJ700s in 2006; 10 CRJ700s in 2007. It also plans to retire ASA's 12 ATR 72s by 2007.

SWISS plans to lease six Avro RJ100s (expected to be from BAE Systems) in 1Q06 under short-haul fleet rationalization plan that includes leasing out nine ERJ 145s (talking with potential lessees) and parking seven Saab 2000s. It plans to operate short-haul fleet of 24 A320 Family aircraft and 24 Avro RJ85/100s by summer season 2006.

NETJETS EUROPE acquired ex-Icaro Beech 1900D (UE-371) from Raytheon for crew and parts shuttle service.

INTL AVIATION SUPPORT, TX purchased ex-SkyWest EMB 120 (156) from Bank of America in deal arranged by SkyQuest International, NC and Northstar Aviation Services, FL.

FLIGHTLINE, UK leased ex-Air Wisconsin BAe 146-200 (2042).

MULTIFLYERS SERVICES, BVI purchased EMB 120ER (037) from SkyWest, UT; SkyQuest Intl., NC arranged.

WILLIAMS GROUP, GA purchased ex-Regional Airlines Beech 1900D (UE-290) from Raytheon for shuttle service.

ALENIA, Italy agreed to acquire 25% of SUKHOI CIVIL AIRCRAFT, manufacturer of the Russian Regional Jet.

AVIATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP (ATG) leased 56,000 sq ft manufacturing facility at Front Range Airport (FTG) near Denver, CO for production and testing of 2-seat Javelin VLJ; it plans to build four conforming aircraft. It is continuing with taxi testing of prototype after modification to nose landing gear assembly to counter shimmy issues.

JETDIRECT AVIATION, PA acquired SUMMIT JET, East Farmingdale, NY (air charters/aircraft management).

AAR has 10-year, $200m Mesa Air Group contract to provide component supply, repair, distribution, IT and logistics services for its ERJ 145s and CRJ700/900s; as part of agreement, AAR will purchase $50m inventory from Mesa.

GORE DESIGN COMPLETIONS, TX redelivered Bermuda-registered BBJ after 5-week interior upgrade program.

EMBRAER activated first CAE-built EMBRAER 170 simulator in Europe at SWISS AVIATION TRAINING.

EXPRESSJET SERVICES, Shreveport, LA received FAA repair station certification; it currently offers composite and sheet metal services, including thrust reverser, engine cowl and nose section repairs, on several aircraft types.

SAAB AIRCRAFT, Sweden has 3-year, $6m contract extension from Loganair, Scotland for its Parts Exchange Program (PEP) covering 11 Saab 340Bs and two Saab 340As. Loganair signed its original PEP contract in 1999.

STANDARD AERO HOLDINGS had C$2.8m net income on C$171.8m revenues in 2Q05 vs C$13.1m on C$189.9m in 2Q04; it says that its results are not necessarily comparable due to August 2004 acquisition of Dunlop Standard.

AMERICAN EAGLE reached tentative agreement with its flight attendants (AFA) on new contract.

INTROMARK, PA developed PDC-100 performance monitor for small aircraft that automatically samples absolute pressure and temperature to calculate ground roll, best rate-of-climb, runway length and optimum flight levels.

SWISS TECHNICAL SERVICES has contracts from Lufthansa CityLine for heavy maintenance of 18 RJ85s and from Blue1, Finland for maintenance of five Saab 2000s. It is adding second line/50 technicians at Basel to handle work.

GULFSTREAM delivered its first G200 in Canada; aircraft will be managed/operated by PARTNER JET, Toronto.

GALVIN FLYING SERVICES, WA was certified by the FAA to operate charters with >10-seat aircraft; it says it has added a 10-pax Challenger 604, Westwind II and King Air B200 to fleet and is seeking to acquire more large aircraft.

ECLIPSE made first flight of its fifth/final Eclipse 500 VLJ flight test aircraft (second beta test aircraft); test fleet has 300 flight hours. It also formed training partnership with two New Mexico schools for entry-level manufacturing jobs.

FLIGHTSAFETY INTL launched Twin Commander training program with two Level "A" simulators in Houston.

AVION PRIVATE JET CLUB, CA was approved by US DOT to provide public charters operated by AVJET.

LINEAR AIR launched weekly per-seat scheduled White Plains-Nantucket charters; it has three Caravans/one Skyhawk.

THE AIRLINE MONITOR says operating cost per block hour for US pax airlines was $2,789.39 in 2004 vs $2,661.31 in 2003; widebodies cost $5,381.60 per hour (vs $4,970.75), and narrowbodies $2,397.39 per hour (vs $2,300.41).

AVCORP, BC has contract extension from Boeing to supply sheet metal details/assemblies for 737, 747 and 777.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR AVIATION RESEARCH, KS launched research project to assess damage tolerance and durability of fiber-reinforced metal laminates (GLARE/ARALL), and establish airworthiness certification methodology.

EMIRATES says pax traveling with online bookings increased an average of 201% per month in April-July 2005.

SAS plans Sept. 1 to launch European fare structure (Nya Europaflyget) that includes lower prices/less restrictions.

ORCON, CA has FAA STCs for lower lobe insulation blanket kits (meets FAR 25.856a) for 777-200 and 737-300.

RACOR (Parker Hannifin), CA and FAUDI AVIATION, Germany formed partnership to market and sell each other's aviation and industrial fuel filtration products, including electronic aviation fuel monitoring systems.

ARINC launched its first GLOBALink VHF coverage in Australia in partnership with AEROTHAI.

AEROMEDIC INNOVATIONS, UK was selected by Shenzhen Airlines to supply first aid kits for six A319s/A320s.

LUFTHANSA SYSTEMS FLIGHTNAV, Switzerland signed agreement with Global ePoint to market and sell (both jointly and independently) Airworks Class 2 Bundled EFB; FlightNav has existing customer base of over 110 airlines.

PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (PHL) says its economic air service impact was $14b in 2004, or 63% of Pennsylvania's $22b total, according to findings by ECLAT CONSULTING for Pennsylvania's Bureau of Aviation.

ABU DHABI INTL AIRPORT (AUH) opened two interim terminals totaling 17,000 sq m (to handle 3m pax) under $6.8b redevelopment plan to add Midfield Terminal Complex, new runway, nine aircraft hard stands, cargo/maintenance facilities, and other support facilities. ADIA expects to upgrade infrastructure to handle up to 20m pax/year by 2010.

ROMASSOCIATES.COM estimates world airlines flew 148.2b RPMs in June, up 6.2% from 139.4b in June 2004.

AEA says departure delays (intra-European networks) of >15 minutes at European airports were 18.1% of total in 2Q05 vs 16.1% in 2Q04. Rome (25.6%) had highest rate, and Copenhagen (12.1%) and Dusseldorf (12%) lowest.

JAL says enplanements for Japanese summer vacation (July 22-Aug. 21) fell .9% from a year ago to 684,956.

KENYA AIRWAYS flew 1.38b RPKs in first quarter ended June 30, up 18% vs a year ago. Capacity rose 15%.

AITAL (Latin American airlines) members flew 9.57b RPKs in June, up 11.2% vs June 2004; capacity rose 9.2%.

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES began Guangzhou-Hailar/-Manzhouli/-Xilinhot (Inner Mongolia) via Hohhot (737).

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES plans to begin Pittsburgh-Tampa on Oct. 30 and Pittsburgh-Phoenix on Nov. 22 (737).

UKRAINE INTL AIRLINES plans October 31 to begin five-times-weekly Kiev-Milan, Italy (737).

CONTINENTAL AIRLINES plans November 17 to begin daily nonstop Newark-Ponce, PR (737-800).

GULF AIR plans December 2 to begin three-times-weekly Bahrain-Johannesburg, South Africa (A330-200).

AIRTRAN AIRWAYS plans December 15 to begin daily Atlanta-Cancun (737-700).

AMERICAN plans February 3 to begin DFW-Montego Bay, Jamaica/-Guanacaste, Liberia, Costa Rica (737-800).

SPIRIT AIRLINES plans February 16 to begin daily Ft. Lauderdale, FL-Atlanta (A319/A321).





CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES finalized order for 10 787s (engines TBD) for July 2008-2010 (SPNWS, February 4).

ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS finalized order for one 767-300F and two 767-300s with CF6-80C2s (SPNWS, Aug. 5).

VLADIVOSTOK AVIA, Russia agreed to lease two new Tu-204-300s with PS-90As from Ilyushin Finance.

JETGLOBAL purchased 26 737-200s from Jetran Intl.; 14 (ex-Delta) are parked and 12 are leased to Delta through Sept. 2006-Oct. 2007. Jetglobal was formed by BCI Aircraft Leasing, IL (70%) and Global Aircraft Solutions, AZ.

ATA AIRLINES leased two ex-United 737-300s (24664/24667) from Q Aviation, TX, which purchased the aircraft from US Bank (Trustee) in deal arranged by Bristol Associates. It also leases ex-United 737-300 (24663) from CIT.

KLM leased (ACMI) 44-pax 737-700IGW (BBJ; 34303) from PrivatAir for 6-times-weekly Amsterdam-Houston IAH.

US AIRWAYS agreed to sell five A320s (1052/1061/1065/1112/1114) to BCI AIRCRAFT LEASING, IL for $29m each; nine A319s (1358/1360/1369/1371/1378/1382/1389/1391/1393) to RPK CAPITAL, IL for $25.5m each; and five A330-300s (333/337/342/370/375) to FORTRESS for $54.6m each, then lease back all 19 aircraft for 7-10 years.

BLUE AIR, Bucharest, Romania leased ex-Rio-Sul 737-500 (24785) from AWAS, WA.

ATLASJET, Turkey leased two ex-Iberia 757s (29307/29308) with RB211s; BBAM arranged.

AIRBRIDGE, Russia leased ex-Air Atlanta Icelandic 747-300F (24837) with CF6-50s from EAST; GATX arranged.

BATAVIA AIR, Indonesia purchased third/fourth ex-WestJet 737-200As (21767/21955) from Apollo Aviation, FL.

ALLIANCE AIRLINES, Australia acquired ex-US Airways Fokker 100 (11357); it now has eight Fokker 100s.

JET PARTNERS purchased 737-300 (23312) from US Airways as part of deal to buy three 737-400s and seven 737-300s, plus three CFM56s (SPNWS, Aug. 19); purchase price rose from $48m to $52m due to other bids.

DEUCALION CAPITAL IV (managed by DVB Bank) purchased A330-300 (637; leased to Qatar Airways) with CF6-80s from Airbus Financial Services. Deucalion funds have now purchased eight aircraft in 12 months.

AUTOMATIC LLC purchased ex-United 737-300 (24668) from US Bank (Trustee); Bristol Associates arranged.

RCG FGK INTREPID, NY purchased five 737-400s (25020/25021/25022/25023/25024; leased to US Airways) from undisclosed seller; FIRST GREENWICH KAHALA, CT was selected by RCG FGK to manage the aircraft.

PANAMA INTERNATIONAL AIR (Trans Global Logistics) plans startup of cargo operations in 4Q05 with a 727-200F, then regional passenger operations in 1Q06 with 737s or MD-80s. It has not identified source for aircraft.

ICELANDAIR leased 757-200PCF (24566; ex-Guyana) from AWAS; PRECISION CONVERSIONS converted.

TAJIK AIR, Tajikistan has $5m EBRD loan to lease two "second-hand, modern generation aircraft" (details TBD).

AIRTRAN completed $354m financing with ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND for 737-700s to be delivered in 2006-'07.

SHENZHEN AIRLINES selected CFM56-5Bs for three A320s and two A319s on order for delivery from late 2005.

NIPPON CARGO AIRLINES selected CF6-80C2s for four 747-400Fs on order for delivery starting in 2007.

FEDEX took delivery of its 100th Airbus freighter; it has 36 production A300-600Fs and 64 converted freighters (49 A310-200Fs, eight A300-600Fs and seven A310-300Fs), of which 32 were converted by EADS EFW in Dresden.

UAL CORP received commitments from Citibank, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Deutsche Bank, and GE Commercial Finance for $3b in all-debt financing to exit bankruptcy; it was also granted extension by Bankruptcy Court from Sept. 1 to Nov. 1 for exclusive right to file plan of reorganization. It is targeting emergence from Chapter 11 in 4Q05 or 1Q06.

ATA says fuel supply at many airports (Hurricane Katrina is responsible for 13% cut in US supply) is becoming major challenge beyond costs for some US airlines; it "could prove to be knock-out blow for some." FAA refutes statement.

EMBRAER received type certification for EMBRAER 190 from CTA (Brazilian airworthiness authority); deliveries are planned to start in September to JetBlue following FAA certification. EMBRAER 195 is to be certified in mid-2006.

NORTHWEST says it continues to operate schedule despite mechanics strike; it publishes charts daily showing percentage of flights completed, those arriving within 14 minutes of posted schedule, and how many aircraft were out of service on a given day: www.nwa.com. It has been using replacement mechanics since strike began August 20.

DELTA extended MasterCard/Visa processing contract through Oct. in return for agreeing to holdback for specified percentage (starting at 50%) for MasterCard/Visa receivables; holdback on October 31 is estimated to be $625m.

IABG began fatigue testing of a full scale A380 (two months ahead of schedule) at 4,950 sq m facility in Dresden, Germany, operated jointly with IMA; it will artificially create 47,500 flight cycles (25 years of service) using 184 computercontrolled hydraulic jacks, and can simulate 16-hour flight in 11 minutes. It also plans to pressurize the cabin to .6 bar.

BOEING unveiled 787 flight deck with five 12 x 9.1-inch screens totaling 546 sq inches of display space (double 777) and dual HUDs and EFBs. ROCKWELL COLLINS is supplier and system integrator for display and crew alerting systems, pilot controls, communication and surveillance systems, common data network and the core network cabinet.

PRECISION CASTPARTS agreed to acquire SPECIAL METALS, WV (nickel-based alloys/super alloys) for $540m.

L-3, NY acquired JOSEPH SHEAIRS ASSOCIATES, NJ (ATC software/systems).

BOEING is looking at increasing 787 production figures after 2009; it plans to build 95 787s total in 2008-2009, and says 2010 is sold out under current production schedule.

AIRBUS says A350 wingbox (designed/built in UK) will be composite and it plans to use aluminum-lithium alloy for center wing structure vs pure aluminum. To read about Al-Li Alloys for fuselages: www.speednews.com/al-li.pdf

AEROMOBILE (ARINC/Telenor) signed agreement with Boeing to explore the feasibility of equipping new aircraft with its inflight cellular solution; deal covers line-fit options for both widebodies and narrowbodies, initially the 777.

AMECO BEIJING has 5-year United contract for 777 heavy maintenance; it expects to work on up to 80 aircraft.

GE has 15-year, $240m Shenzhen Airlines contract to provide CFM56-5B MRO services for three A320s and two A319s under new OnPoint Solution program. It also supports Shenzhen's CFM56-3s/-7s under separate deals.

FINNAIR TECHNICAL SERVICES has World Airways contract (non-exclusive) for heavy maintenance of DC-10s and MD-11s; it is currently working on MD-11. Finnair also provides line maintenance to World under previous deal.

VEM (Varig), Brazil converted second GECAS 767-200 (24457; ex-Air Atlanta Europe) to cargo under subcontract from IAI Bedek for five total: one for lease to Tampa Colombia (completed/delivered) and four for lease to Star Air, Denmark. It also completed heavy maintenance of second DC-10-30 (47867) for Santa Barbara Airlines, Venezuela.

QANTAS is investing A$7.6m to establish RB211 maintenance center in Sydney to support its 747s and 767s.

NYF, NJ has 10-year, $100m Hamilton Sundstrand contract to provide supply chain management of >10,000 assembly hardware components, including point-of-use delivery and support to HS operations in US and Puerto Rico.

A J WALTER, UK was approved by KLM Engineering & Maintenance as vendor for spare parts.

CAE received FAA certification for the first EMBRAER 190 full flight simulator, installed at JetBlue's Orlando facility.

ALTEON TRAINING and AEROLINEAS ARGENTINAS opened joint training facility in Buenos Aires with Level "D" 737-300/500 simulator; plans include installing 737 flat-panel trainer by end of 2005. AA operates 34 737-200s/500s.

THALES GROUP reported Û4.75b revenues in 1H05, up 3.8% vs Û4.57b in 1H04; it says organic growth was 4.9%.

AIRASIA had RM111.2m net profit on RM666m revenues in year ended June 30 vs RM49m on RM393m a year ago; it says due to unwillingness to commit to higher lease rates on 737s (it has 60 A320s on order for 1Q06) it faced average shortfall of 4.9 aircraft during the fiscal year. It currently operates 25 737s (19 in Malaysia; six in Thailand).

AIR NEW ZEALAND GROUP reported NZ$212m profit on NZ$4b revenues in year ended June 30 vs NZ$235m on NZ$3.9b a year ago; ANZES earned NZ$30m on NZ$526m for fiscal year vs NZ$45m on NZ$537m a year ago.

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES lost RMB964m on RMB17.8b in 1H05 vs RMB374m profit on RMB11.1b in 1H04.

CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES lost RMB475m on RMB10.4b in 1H05 vs RMB399m profit on RMB9.5b in 1H04.

US AIRWAYS GROUP reported $2.3m net income on $678.3m revenues in July. It had $621m cash on July 31.

CALYON SECURITIES (USA) expects US airline consolidation and restructuring activity to start increasing in Sept.:

DELTA and NORTHWEST can avoid filing bankruptcy if certain conditions are met; CONTINENTAL and AMR are in no immediate danger of filing bankruptcy; and INDEPENDENCE AIR will file shortly unless it can find outside capital.

AEA members flew 66.7b RPKs in July, up 7% vs July 2004; capacity rose 4.1% to 82.2b. Cargo rose 0.4%.

NBAA announced that conditions following Hurricane Katrina have forced it to relocate its 58th Annual Meeting & Convention that had been planned in New Orleans in November. It has begun process of securing a new location.

CESSNA made first flight of Mustang production aircraft; certification is expected in 4Q06. It has orders for >230.

REPUBLIC AIRLINES obtained operating certificate from FAA and plans Sept. 4 to start flying two new EMBRAER 170s as US Airways Express; aircraft are leased from GECAS as part of deal for three (047/048/049) under previously announced plan to acquire rights to 28 total E170s, plus LaGuardia/Reagan slots and other assets from US Airways.

CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES JIANGSU took delivery of first of five Chinese-built ERJ 145s from Harbin Embraer.

EXECUTIVE JET SUPPORT, UK purchased four F27 Mk500s (10371/10372/10383/10464) from FedEx Express.

JETCRAFT AVIATION, Australia leased ex-Flugfelag Islands Metro 23 (DC-881B) from Aircraft Consultants, TX.

HANSUNG, Korea leased ex-Air Kiribati ATR 72-200 (456) from ATR for startup. It is to acquire second in 1Q06.

AIR LITHUANIA (three ATR 42s) was acquired by CEO from Arijus after it could not acquire Lithuanian Airlines.

GE has 10-year Republic contract for CF34-8E MRO for up to 30 EMBRAER 170s under OnPoint Solutions program.

PIAGGIO placed the 100th Avanti production aircraft into completion with STEVENS AVIATION, Greenville, SC.

GULFSTREAM designed/developed a pilot and co-pilot cursor control device for G150, to enter service in 3Q06.

FLIGHT TEST ASSOCIATES, CA has Mexican DGAC approval for its RVSM package for Learjet 20 Series aircraft.

GARRETT/PIEDMONT HAWTHORNE/ASSOCIATED has FAA STC to install ROCKWELL COLLINS IDS-3000 Integrated Display Systems on Falcon 200 and Garrett-modified FJ44 Eagle II Citation 501 as flight deck upgrade.

SAX plans Oct. 1 to take over 4-times-daily Port Elizabeth-Durban/-Cape Town (CRJ) from South African Airways.

SHUTTLE AMERICA (Delta) plans October 15 to begin daily JFK-Austin/-San Antonio, TX (EMBRAER 170).

DARWIN plans October 30 to begin four-times-daily Zurich-Lugano (Saab 2000) on behalf of SWISS.

GATE GOURMET LONDON reached agreement with TGWU on nonbinding framework for new labor deal, and launched voluntary redundancy programs to reduce workforce to "economically viable levels" (number undisclosed).

GE completed the purchase of EVEREST VIT, NJ (visual inspection technology; 17 locations worldwide) from Welch Allyn, and plans to operate it as part of its GE INSPECTION TECHNOLOGIES business, based in Huerth, Germany.

AIA says US aerospace exports were $18.8b ($15.9b civil and $2.9b military) in 2Q05 vs $14.6b ($11.8b civil and $2.8b military) in 2Q04. Aerospace imports were $7.6b ($5.9b civil/$1.7b military) vs $6.5b ($5.1b civil/$1.4b military).

MTU MAINTENANCE HANNOVER, Langenhagen was approved as a PW6000 production organization. It provides final assembly/acceptance testing of PW6000, then ships completed engines to Hamburg for installation on A318s.

CAE has 10-year Virgin Atlantic contract for A340-600/747-400 pilot training; deal includes option for A380 training.

HEICO, FL had $6m net income on $69.2m sales in third quarter ended July 31 vs $8.1m on $55.8m a year ago.

ORCON, CA received FAA STC for lower lobe insulation blanket kit (meets FAR 25.856a) for 767-300.

UNITED is deactivating $200m automated baggage system at DIA; system was designed by BAE AUTOMATED

SYSTEMS, TX (liquidated) and its delay in operation postponed the opening of airport for months from 1994 to 1995.

ARINC was selected by Aeromexico to provide GLOBALink VHF data link service for 25 737-700s.

EUROPEAN AERONAUTICAL GROUP, UK has 5-year Air Berlin contract to provide route manuals and electronic route manuals, Navdata, and airport obstacle database.

PROCURI, GA has KLM contract extension for its TotalSource and TotalContracts solutions that automate strategic sourcing and contract management processes respectively; both systems are also used by Air France.

ARINC patented new automated weight and balance technology that it says weighs pax and carry-ons unobtrusively before boarding and performs precise calculations in real time to optimize fuel, cargo and seating configurations.

AUSTRIAN AIRLINES was certified by Eurocontrol to peform RNP RNAV approaches (vs GPS RNAV) with 737s.

FMC TECHNOLOGIES, TX developed a towbarless tractor (for early 2006) and cargo loader (for early 2007) that are both capable of handling A380s; it also received approval from Airbus to use its towbarless tractor with A340-500/600.

SUPPORT AIR has relocated its headquarters to new 10,000 sq ft facility in Miamisburg, OH. It provides material, spares and support for Boeing and Airbus aircraft, and also operates satellite offices in Florida and Thailand.

SHEPHERD SYSTEMS (Cendant subsidiary), FL was selected by Japan Airlines to provide its MarketMaster (for traffic flow assessment) and Galaxy MIDT (Market Information Data Transfer) Processing Services solutions.

MANILA HOTEL agreed to purchase Fraport's stake in PIATCO, which operates Terminal 3 at Manila Intl. (MNL).

INFRATIL purchased KENT INTL AIRPORT (2,752-meter runway), UK for £17m. It also owns Glasgow Prestwick.

HOCHTIEF, Germany was announced as successful bidder to acquire 75% of BUDAPEST AIRPORT (BUD).

ACI says world airport traffic increased 5.8% in July 2005 vs July 2004; cargo traffic rose 0.7%.

BRITISHJET plans September 7 to begin Malta-Glasgow; it operates an MD-90 damp-leased from Hello, Switzerland.

AMERICAN AIRLINES plans October 30 to begin daily nonstop LAX-San Antonio (MD-80).

MIDWEST AIRLINES plans October 31 to begin Kansas City-Orlando, -Pittsburgh, and -San Diego (717).

JETBLUE AIRWAYS plans November 3 to begin daily Boston-Seattle (A320).

FRONTIER AIRLINES applied to US DOT to begin three-times-weekly Indianapolis-Cancun (A319) in 1Q06.

SHANGHAI AIRLINES applied to CAAC to begin four-times-weekly all-cargo Shanghai-Anchorage-LAX (MD-11F).







UAL filed Plan of Reorganization and Disclosure Statement with US Bankruptcy Court (); it plans to exit Chapter 11 in 1Q06 with $2.5b in financing (most unsecured creditors can expect to recover 4-7 cents on dollar) and fleet of 453 mainline aircraft, plus 300 regional jets/turboprops operated by United Express carriers.

BOEING machinists in Puget Sound, Portland and Wichita went on strike on September 2; last IAM strike was in '95. Boeing suspended assembly of commercial aircraft in Renton/Everett; production of 717/military aircraft is unaffected.

INDIAN AIRLINES received approval from its government to order 43 Airbus aircraft for $2.2b; in 2002 it had announced its intention to order 19 A319s, four A320s, and 20 A321s with CFM56s, but deal was never finalized.

LOT, Poland ordered seven 787-8s with Trent 1000s for delivery starting in 2008; it took options on two more and purchase rights for five. ROLLS-ROYCE has 15-year LOT contract to provide TotalCare services for the engines.

CHINA SOUTHERN ordered eight A330-300s and two A330-200s for 2007-2008 through GTA signed by CASGC.

RÉGIONAL (Air France) ordered six EMBRAER 190 LRs, and optioned six, replacing order for seven ERJ 145s.

WIZZ AIR ordered 12 A319s/A320s with V2500s for delivery starting mid-'07, and optioned 12. It has six A320s.

BOEING booked order from unidentified customer for three 747-400ERFs for delivery in 2007-2008.

VOLGA-DNEPR agreed to order five new An-124-100M-150 freighters for delivery starting in 2008; Volga-Dnepr and Antonov agreed to establish manufacturing branch at Aviastar SP, Ulyanovsk to relaunch An-124 production.

GOL accelerated deliveries of six 737-800s to 2006, and now plans to take delivery of 11 (of 60 on order) in 2006.

ABX AIR agreed to buy 11 767-200s (now 12) from Delta in 2006 (six), 2007 (two), and 2008 (three). IAI BEDEK was selected to convert to freighter with standard cargo door. ABX values purchases and conversion program at $190m.

AERGO CAPITAL, Ireland purchased second/third MD-83s (53012; ex-Spirit/53014; leased to Blue Line, France) from Bayerische Landesbank, Germany; Aircraft Leasing & Management (ALM), UK arranged the transactions.

EUROFLY, Italy leased one new A330-200 with PW4168As from ILFC for seven years for delivery in April 2007.

CUBANA agreed to purchase two Tu-204s, one Tu-204 freighter and two Il-96-300s from Ilyushin Finance.

AIR CHINA wet-leased an A320 and an A330-300 from Dragonair, Hong Kong for two years for flights from Beijing.

MIDAMERICAN AEROSPACE, AZ purchased ex-China Airlines A300B4 (197) from JM Intl., CA for part out, and also ex-Express.Net 727-200F (21249) from FINOVA Capital, AZ.

GOL, Brazil leased ex-United 737-300 (24532) from Automatic, FL.

GULF AIR, Bahrain wet-leased an A340-300E (2-class configuration) from Jet Airways, India through October 24.

EVERGREEN AIRCRAFT SALES & LEASING, OR purchased DC-9-31 (47160) without engines from Northwest.

UNITED AIRLINES agreed to purchase six 767-300s off-lease: one (25284) from Walt Disney Television and Pictures; two (25283/27158) from Verizon Capital and three (25092/25093/25094) from undisclosed lessors.

KJ GREENWICH KAHALA, NY purchased A320 (426) with CFM56s; aircraft is currently leased to Air Canada.

GRAND HOLDINGS (Champion Air) purchased four 727-200As (21348/21458/22146/22147) off-lease from CIT.

SPIRIT AIRLINES, FL purchased two MD-83s (49617/49618) off-lease from FINOVA Capital, AZ.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN (as prime contractor) and EADS teamed to offer modified A330 (KC-30) to USAF for its tanker replacement program; US content of KC-30 would be >50% and aircraft would be assembled in Mobile, AL.

ILFC had 667 aircraft under operating lease, nine under finance lease, and another 101 under management for third parties at end of 2004; nearly 89% of fleet was placed with non-US airlines. Its fleet had net book value of $32.7b.

AIRTRUST (Lufthansa/SWISS) initiated squeeze-out of remaining publicly held SWISS shares for CHF8.96 each.

SWE FLY, Sweden suspended operations. It had been operating one 767-300ER and three Fokker 50s.

MANDALA AIRLINES 737-230A (22136; built in 1981) crashed on September 5 near Medan, Indonesia.

EMBRAER received FAA type certification of 100-seat EMBRAER 190; first is to be delivered to JetBlue by end Sept.

DELTA announced plans to right-size domestic hubs (Cincinnati, SLC and Atlanta), increase intl. and Hawaii services, and accelerate removal of 15 767-200s (it says most inefficient widebody in fleet); 11 are to be sold to ABX Air through 2008. It is reducing mainline/Delta Connection capacity at Cincinnati by 26% and expanding to 41 intl. destinations.

NORTHWEST AIRLINES reopened talks with AMFA in attempt to reach agreement on new contract and end mechanics strike that began August 20. It says that if it cannot reach deal, it will start permanently hiring its temporary workers.

SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS (former Wichita/Tulsa Division of Boeing Commercial Airplanes), KS says due to the machinist strike at Boeing it has reduced work week to three days; workers may charge the remaining two days to vacation in order to receive full paychecks. It supplies fuselage sections, struts/nacelles and wing elements for 7-Series aircraft.

BAE SYSTEMS had £488m operating profit on £6.77b sales in 1H05 vs £392m on £5.96b sales in 1H04; its commercial aerospace business earned £154m on £1.7b (£22.4b order book) vs £117m on £1.44b a year ago.

CHINA AIRLINES agreed to purchase 25% of YANGTZE RIVER EXPRESS, Shanghai (six 737s) from Hainan.

TEXTRON announced that it is evaluating strategic alternatives for TEXTRON FASTENING SYSTEMS, Troy, MI.

EC published rule restricting state aid to airlines planning to start routes at European regional airports (<5m annual pax) to 30-50% of total costs incurred related to the startup of the new service; aid is to be limited to three years.

B/E AEROSPACE was selected by Connexion by Boeing to provide integration, certification and kit production of its inflight connectivity systems for 777s and 767s.

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE and BOEING began process to license (for technology transfer) CHENGDU AIRCRAFT, China to manufacture the 787 composite rudder under contract from Boeing's Fabrication Division.

DELTA TECHOPS has 5-year contract from Eos Airlines (formerly Atlantic Express), NY to maintain PW2037s and GTCP331 APUs and provide component and inventory support services for its three 757-200s leased from ILFC.

SR TECHNICS has 3-year Transmile, Malaysia contract to provide technical management and component/engine (PW4000) management services for its four MD-11Fs. It began overhaul work at Zurich on the first two engines.

VEM (Varig) completed heavy maintenance of fifth (of five scheduled) A300B4-200F for Express.Net Airlines.

ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS unveiled new lightweight domestic economy class seat that increases leg room five centimetres by moving literature pocket up behind the tray table; initial installations are planned on 767-300s starting in October.

AERO AVIATION, Calgary completed program to install APB blended winglets on 35 737-700s for WestJet.

AIR FRANCE-KLM had Û112m net profit on Û5.2b turnover in first quarter ended June 30 vs Û536m on Û4.9b a year ago (pro forma figures); CASM rose .7%. Its third party maintenance business had Û213m turnover, up 6%.

KENYA AIRWAYS flew 1.38b RPKs in first quarter ended June 30, up 18% vs a year ago; capacity increased 15% to 1.95b ASKs. Its capacity on European routes (to London and Amsterdam) rose 15% due to introduction of 777.

AIRASIA sold 600,876 seats in July 2005 (66% via Malaysian-based operations), up 35% from 445,433 in July '04.

RYANAIR carried 3.26m pax in August 2005 (91% PLF), up 27% from 2.57m pax (92% PLF) in August 2004.

EASYJET carried 2.9m pax in August 2005 (88.4% PLF), up 18% from 2.46m pax (88.6% PLF) in August 2004.

NBAA is moving its 58th Annual Meeting & Convention from November 15-17 in New Orleans to Nov. 9-11 in Orlando.

SKYWEST completed the purchase of ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST AIRLINES from Delta for $425m; ASA (104 CRJ200s, 35 CRJ700s and 12 ATR 72s) will continue to operate as a Delta Connection carrier through 2020 as part of deal.

MESABA has Northwest contract to operate 15 new CRJ200s (ordered by NWA) as Northwest Airlink; service is to begin in mid-October with all 15 delivered by March 2006. Deal includes exclusive rights for Mesaba for next 20 CRJ200s/440s Northwest may order, and continues current payment terms for Saab 340s/Avros until March 2007.

AIR CALEDONIE finalized orders (announced at Paris) for one ATR 42-500 and two ATR 72-500s for 2006-2007.

IFC LEASING (Ilyushin), Russia agreed to lease 15 An-148-100Bs/five An-148T freighters to POLET AIRLINES, Russia for delivery 2007-2010 and eight new An-148-100Bs to PULKOVO AIRLINES, Russia, plus 10 options.

SUN-AIR, Denmark purchased second 328JET (3210) from AvCraft, Germany, which continues to seek buyers.

REPUBLIC AIRWAYS HOLDINGS has Bankruptcy Court approval to purchase 13 EMBRAER 170s (also assuming leases of 15 from GECAS) and commuter slots at Reagan National (113)/LaGuardia (24) from US Airways for $100m.

STYRIAN SPIRIT, Austria says it plans to order one CRJ900 for June 2006; it has three CRJ200s and a CRJ700.

AIR ATLANTIQUE, UK says it plans to purchase two ATR 72s from Finnair Aircraft Finance. It has three ATR 42s.

OLDENDORFF, Germany purchased 328JET (3197) from Independence Air.

AER ARANN, Ireland extended leases of two ATR 42-300s (191/199) from Nordic Aviation Contractor, Denmark until 2008 and a third (161) to 2009.

VIP (Grupo Synergy), Ecuador acquired ex-PSA Dornier 328-100 (3018).

EMBRAER received FAA/CTA certification to operate the Legacy at airports up to 9,500 ft above sea level, such as Telluride and Aspen, CO, and Quito, Ecuador. There are currently 58 Legacys in operation in 15 countries.

CESSNA delivered its 6,000th single-engine piston aircraft built in Independence, KS since opening in 1996.

BOMBARDIER inaugurated 238,000 sq ft aircraft parts warehouse (120,000 unique parts) at Chicago O'Hare.

GARRETT/PIEDMONT HAWTHORNE/ASSOCIATED, AZ leased 100,000 sq ft hangar near its existing FBO facility at Toronto Pearson (YYZ); it now has 220,000 sq ft of hangar space at the airport, plus 90,000 sq ft of office space.

AVIAPARTNER, Belgium has 3-year Lufthansa contract to provide ramp handling services at Cologne-Bonn Airport for ATRs, CRJs, Dash 8s, BAe 146s and Avro RJs operated by Lufthansa CityLine, Eurowings and Augsburg Airways.

HELISIM, France is manufacturing Level "D" simulators for Eurocopter EC 225s and EC 725s for installation at Marignane Airport (next to Eurocopter) in 2007. HELISIM is a joint venture of Eurocopter, Thales Services and DCI.

IFC LEASING (Ilyushin), ROLLS-ROYCE and ANTONOV signed agreement to study use of BR710 for An-148.

GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE made first flight of the second G150 test aircraft, two weeks ahead of schedule; FAA certification is expected in 1Q06, and the first aircraft is to enter service in 3Q06. Aircraft was built by IAI in Tel Aviv.

S-TEC, TX has FAA STC to install MAGIC EFIS, EIDS and DFCS on the Piper Cheyenne II.

STYRIAN SPIRIT began Graz-Berlin/Klagenfurt-Paris/-Zurich; it plans in Nov. to begin Klangenfurt-London (CRJ).

MESA (United Express explus) plans October 31 to begin daily Dulles-San Antonio (CRJ700).

SKYWEST AIRLINES (United Express) plans October 31 to begin daily San Francisco-Tucson (CRJ200).

IATA Director General says rising oil prices are making cost cuts critical for airlines; he says (regarding need for better ATC efficiency) that if every flight could save one minute, industry savings of up to $4b annually are possible. In May, IATA forecasted industry losses in 2005 of $6b based on average fuel price for year of $47/barrel, which is now $53.

MTI-LEEWOOD, Germany has $45m Airbus contract to supply crew rest compartment furnishings (mattresses, carpet, wall linings and curtains) for A380s: $15m for serial production and $30m for retrofits based on two per life of aircraft.

ZAO PRIME ALUM (Alcoa) offered $11.4m to acquire the remaining 18% in BKMPO, Russia (fabricated aluminium plant) still held by shareholders; it acquired initial 82% in plant (along with Samara facility) from RUSAL in Jan. 2005.

JAPAN AIRLINES completed first GE90 (777) overhaul at its Center of Excellence facility at Tokyo Narita.

MECHTRONIX, Canada has CAAC Level "D" certification for its Ascent 737-800 simulator at CAFUC, Guanghan.

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES plans in November to open 14,000 sq m cargo terminal at Addis Ababa to handle 100,000 tons of air cargo annually, focusing on perishables. ICM AIRPORT TECHNICS is supplying material handling system.

AIRTRAN AIRWAYS mechanics (Teamsters) reached tentative agreement with the airline on new 4-year contract.

UPS pilots authorized union Executive Board to ask National Mediation Board to be released from contract negotiations in order to strike after required 30-day cooling off period; board delayed action due to Gulf Coast disaster from Katrina.

NORTH AMERICAN AIRLINES flight attendants voted to be represented by Teamsters in contract negotiations.

TRAX, FL has KHTY order (its 46th airline customer) to provide maintenance and engineering software.

ORCON, CA received FAA STC for lower lobe insulation blanket kit (meets FAR 25.856a) for 757-200.

PRIME AEROSPACE, Singapore opened 2,691 sq ft stocking and distribution facility at Sharjah (near Dubai), UAE. Prime specializes in the supply of spares for Boeing, Airbus and ATR aircraft and Bell and Eurocopter helicopters.

LUFTHANSA SYSTEMS was selected by Qatar Airways to provide new FACE (Future Airline Core Environment) modular airline pax system that manages core processes, including reservations, inventory and check-in functions.

SBAC and AEROSPACE WALES FORUM formed partnership to strengthen support for UK aerospace companies.

CHINA approved use of its airspace for Taiwanese airlines China Airlines, EVA, Mandarin and Uni Airways.

SETCO, OH was named by Franz Kessler, Germany as the authorized spindle service center in North America.

CAE has Vueling Airlines, Spain contract for A320 pilot provisioning program; 80 candidates are to be recruited.

AACO (Arab Air Carriers Organization) reported pax traffic in Arab region rose 14.9% in July vs July 2004.

IATA says scheduled intl. pax traffic rose 8.5% in July vs July 2004; capacity rose 7%. Cargo traffic rose 2.2%.

FLIGHTSTATS, OR says on-time average for 41 largest US domestic carriers was 77% in August vs 73% in July.

NORTHWEST plans October 2 to suspend daily JFK-Tokyo Narita and use 747-400 on LAX-Tokyo (vs current -200).

FEDEX EXPRESS began daily Delhi-Shanghai (MD-11F) in order to launch overnight delivery from India to China.

TED (United) plans to begin O'Hare-Los Cabos, Mexico on October 15 and -West Palm Beach, FL on Dec. 15 (A320).

SPIRIT AIRLINES plans January 10 to begin daily DFW-Ft. Lauderdale, FL (A319).

AMERICAN AIRLINES plans February 4 to begin JFK-Los Cabos, Mexico (757-200).