Recaro Aircraft Seating opened a new service center in Stockholm with the aim of offering closer proximity for services for customers in the Scandinavian region. It said the facility will enable it to offer services on short notice in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in cooperation with partner company Sollentuna Cabin Interiors.

Aerolia announced it has produced the first pipe for the A350 XWB galley cooling system and the first composite ply for the upper shelf panel. It won the contract from Airbus last year (ATWOnline, May 1, 2009).

Precision Conversions will provide Aerolease International with three 15-pallet 757-200PCFs. The first is scheduled for induction this month with the following two scheduled for delivery in May and July. All three will be modified by Flightstar Aircraft Services.

COMAC signed an LOI with Moog to co-develop the high-lift system including flap/slat actuation, pilot interfaces, electronic controls, power drive units, wingtip brakes, gearboxes and miscellaneous components for the C919. It also selected Parker Aerospace, in a joint venture with AVIC Systems, to supply the fuel, inerting and hydraulic systems. Honeywell was selected to supply 131-9(C9C) APUs and associated equipment.

Aigle Azur took delivery of its first directly purchased CFM-56-powered new A319, joining its fleet of three A319s, three A320s and four A321s.

AirBridgeCargo Airlines said it took delivery of its sixth 747-400 freighter this week. The Volga-Dnepr scheduled service subsidiary, which now operates nine 747Fs, said the latest -400F is being leased from Air France. ABC earlier this month added its fifth -400F, saying the fleet expansion was necessitated by the delay in delivery of its first new 747-8F that was due to join its fleet this year

Curtiss-Wright said it was selected by Boeing to manufacture leading-edge rotary actuators for the 747-8, with deliveries beginning in January 2011 and extending through December 2012.

ILFC announced yesterday it will sell a portfolio of 53 aircraft with a book value of $2.3 billion to Macquarie Aerospace for $1.99 billion. Completion of the sale is slated to occur over the remainder of the year, subject to closing conditions. The sale will raise the average age of ILFC's fleet of approximately 1,000 jet aircraft from 7.4 years to 7.6 years, it said. According to Standard & Poor's, "This is the first sale of a large aircraft portfolio since the global financial and economic crisis began in late 2008.