German Leasing Co. took delivery of Air France's fifth A380, which the carrier will operate on the Paris Charles de Gaulle-Montreal route. The leasing company has financed seven Airbus A380s, four Boeing 777s and two A319s, representing a total volume of €1.68 billion ($2.43 billion). Boeing expanded its Landing Gear Overhaul and Exchange Program to cover 777-200LRs, 777Fs and 777-300ERs.

The Thai government gave Thai Airways the right to decide how it acquires aircraft, clearing the way for the carrier to move forward with a plan to buy or lease up to 75 aircraft over a 12-year period.

Armavia took delivery Tuesday of the first production Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SN95007), at Zvartnots International in Yerevan, nearly three years after the jet’s maiden flight. The aircraft was christened “Yuri Gagarin” in memory of the first cosmonaut. The Armenian carrier holds two firm orders plus two options.

The June 20-26 Paris Air Show will likely turn into an "Airbus festival," Bernstein Research predicted. But the New York-based firm warned that while the European manufacturer will rack up aircraft orders, it may not get the price premium it wants.

Armavia took delivery Tuesday of the first production Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SN95007), at Zvartnots International in Yerevan, nearly three years after the jet’s maiden flight.

GE Aviation announced the launch of the CF6 TRUEngine program, awarding TRUEngine designation to Nippon Cargo's fleet of 43 CF6-80C2s powering its Boeing 747s. The TRUEngine status, which was launched for CFM56s in 2008 (ATW Daily News, July 14, 2008), requires engine configuration, overhaul practices, spare parts and repairs to be consistent with GE or CFM requirements.

Sabena Technics confirmed that Barfield Bogota, the Colombian subsidiary of Barfield Miami, is expected to open mid-year 2011. The new subsidiary follows the signing of a 10-year Airbus A320 component services contract with AviancaTaca for subsidiary carriers Avianca, TACA, Aerogal and Ocean Air. The “fast shop” will initially focus on avionics testing and repair with plans to expand its capabilities to service a larger array of components. The shop will also provide services to other operators in South America.

Embraer delivered 20 commercial aircraft while taking firm orders for 44 E-Jets during the first quarter. Deliveries were slightly behind the 21 commercial aircraft delivered during last year's March quarter. The Brazilian manufacturer's firm backlog stood at 270 aircraft valued at $16 billion on March 31, up 2.6% compared to $15.6 billion as of Dec. 31, 2010.