Airbus said it is “well on track to meet its full year’s target” of delivering at least 20 A380s in 2010 following the handover of two of the aircraft Friday to Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa respectively. Those deliveries brought the 2010 A380 total to 10. SIA now has 11 A380s while LH has two. Emirates also has 11 of the extra-large aircraft while Air France has three and Qantas six.

Air China plans to renew its fleet by introducing more widebody aircraft, a move it said will improve its overall operational efficiency. The Beijing-based carrier said in a statement that it is holding talks with Boeing and Airbus for new aircraft orders. It is interested in both the 787 and the A350. MD-International Affairs and Cooperation Lou Yongfeng told ATW last month that the carrier's international ambitions currently are curtailed by a shortage of long-haul aircraft.

Boeing forecast demand for 30,900 new commercial aircraft valued at $3.6 trillion over the next two decades in its latest Current Market Outlook released yesterday, projecting the global fleet will expand 92.2% from 18,890 currently to 36,300 in 2029.

Boeing yesterday conceded that delivery of the first 787 to launch customer ANA could slip into 2011. In widely reported comments, 787 Program VP and GM Scott Fancher said that while the company is still planning to deliver the aircraft in the fourth quarter, the margin in the Dreamliner's flight test program schedule has been "pushed."

Qantas Group announced yesterday that it brought forward deliveries of eight of its 50 787s on order to mid-2012, a move it said would allow it to speed the retirement of its 767s, give its low-cost carrier Jetstar a competitive edge and bolster its own domestic fleet.

Zodiac Aerospace rejected a takeover bid by Safran, which confirmed that it sent a letter to the chairman of the supervisory board of Zodiac proposing that the two companies examine the merits of consolidation. Zodiac directors unanimously decided against considering a merger during a July 9 board meeting.