A340-600HGW received certification from EASA. Airbus claims the 380-tonne variant, powered by improved Trent 500s, provides up to 18% higher productivity compared to earlier versions. The dash 600HGW has a range of 7,900 nm. (14,600 km.), an improvement of 250 nm. (463 km.) over the base A340-600 in a typical three-class arrangement seating 380. Qatar Airways will take the first aircraft this summer followed by Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic and Etihad Airways. Airbus also is working on an improved variant of the dash 500, certification of which is due to take place early next year.

Star Alliance is working on collective specifications for the 787, Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe told ATWOnline during the group's meeting in Johannesburg earlier this week. The alliance has a working group including member airlines Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore Airlines, ANZ, Air Canada and LOT Polish Airlines negotiating with Boeing on a wide spectrum of specifications ranging from cockpit configuration through galley configuration and seat pitch.

Airbus is taking recent criticisms of the A350 from some key customers to heart. Responding to questions from reporters at the opening of a new facility in Toulouse Monday, CEO Gustav Humbert said, "We are listening to the customers...We have every reason to go the extra mile and study all our options intensively," according to Bloomberg News. Last week, Singapore Airlines CEO Chew Choon Seng said Airbus should have "designed a new fuselage" for the A350 (ATWOnline, April 11).

Cuba signed a deal on behalf of Cubana de Aviacion for the purchase of two new Il-96-300s and three Tu-204s, according to press reports. Aircraft will be delivered this year and next and cost $250 million, 15% of which will come from the Cuban government with the rest financed by Russian banks.

Boeing announced late yesterday the signing of a general purchase agreement with China Aviation Supplies Import and Export Group for 80 737NGs, completing a deal launched last November with a commitment for 70 737s made at the Dubai Air Show (ATWOnline, April 11). Fifty of the 70 aircraft eventually were booked the following month, with the remaining 20 ordered in January. The airframer said it would finalize agreements for the distribution of the new aircraft order with individual Chinese carriers in the coming weeks.