Airbus has ended almost 12 months of speculation and applied the blowtorch to Boeing by launching as an option the re-engine of the A320 family (but not the A318) with either the CFM International LEAP-X or Pratt & Whitney's PurePower PW1100G geared turbofan.

Lufthansa Cargo, which is forecasting a 5% annual gain in its airfreight traffic from 2012 to 2015, said it will add the equivalent of six MD-11 widebodies by 2015, according to LHC Executive Board Member-Product and Sales Andreas Otto. He said the growth is driven by Asian demand.

Global Aircraft fund announced it acquired two Airbus A320-200s and one Boeing 737-700 from GECAS, bringing its total portfolio to 10 aircraft worth approximately $600 million. The three newly acquired narrowbodies have been leased to Air Berlin, Shenzhen Airlines and Vueling Airlines for between five and six years, it said. Amentum Capital closed a sale/leaseback transaction with easyJet for five Airbus A319s, the largest multiple-aircraft transaction Amentum has closed to date.

Qantas returned two of its six Airbus A380sto service on the Sydney to London route after some engine changes. The airline is limiting take-off thrust to 70,000 lb. instead of the 72,000 lb. for which the engine is certified.

Hawaiian Airlines announced Monday it has placed a firm order for an additional six Airbus A330-200s powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines.

China Eastern Airlines is considering canceling its order for 15 Boeing 787s owing to the aircraft program's continuous delays, according to a CEA insider.

China Eastern Airlines is considering canceling its order for 15 Boeing 787s owing to the aircraft program's continuous delays, according to a CEA insider. "Most probably we [will] cancel," the source told ATW. "We are negotiating with Boeing about choosing [a] replacement aircraft type…now."

Pratt & Whitney said ground testing of its first PW1524G engine for the CSeries is on schedule. It has accumulated approximately 60 hr. of testing. The company said it is through about half of the PW1500G engine test program. The PW1524G undergoing testing is the first of an eight-engine validation and certification program that will run over the next 24 months, with first aircraft flight slated for 2012 and EIS scheduled for 2013.