AVIC and GE signed a framework agreement Sunday to launch an avionics joint venture targeted at the fast-growing Chinese aviation market. Lorraine Bolsinger, president and CEO of GE's Aviation Systems business, told reporters that GE and AVIC each will hold 50% of the joint venture but she declined to reveal the size of GE's investment. AVIC VP Zhang Xinguo said his company has not yet decided how much to invest and when the JV will be established formally. "Our first priority is to make a bid for the C919 for the short term," Bolsinger noted. The C919, Commercial Aircraft Corp.

Rolls-Royce won an order for Trent 700s to power 20 A330s ordered by Air China and scheduled to begin delivery in 2011. The contract is worth $1.5 billion at list prices and includes TotalCare service support. Rolls also said its share of an order from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise for V2500s to power 20 A320s ordered by DAE's finance and leasing arm is worth $110 million. The aircraft, part of an order for 70 announced last year, are scheduled to deliver starting in 2011. Pratt & Whitney said its share is worth more than $112 million.

Airbus said EASA has certified all A330 models for ETOPS "beyond 180 min.," which will be available as a customer-selectable option that will extend diversion distance up to 1,700 nm. (240 min. of flying at one-engine speed under "standard conditions").

Boeing late last week moved the first 747-8 freighter out of its Everett assembly hall for painting, with flight testing set to start in the 2010 first quarter. First aircraft is destined for launch customer Cargoloux, one of nine airlines that have ordered a combined 78 747-8Fs. Boeing has sold 105 747-8s overall, including passenger and VIP variants. The -8F at 76.3 m. is 5.6 m. longer than the 747-400 freighter. The stretch provides 16% more revenue cargo volume, translating to four additional main-deck pallets and three more lower-hold pallets.

Vietnam Airlines has signed an MOU for four A380s, VN and EADS officials told reporters in Hanoi. EADS VP Marwan Lahoud said VN is the first new A380 customer since 2006 and that the order was worth $800 million-$1.2 billion, according to Agence France Presse. VN CEO Pham Ngoc Minh told Bloomberg News that the agreement marked the start of negotiations. An Airbus spokesperson contacted by ATWOnline could not confirm the reports. VN has ordered both the 787 and A350.

Sukhoi Civil Aircraft said it will miss the delivery date of the first Superjet 100 that was scheduled for the end of 2009. Aircraft is headed to launch customer Aeroflot, but Sukhoi said this week that it will "not be able to supply its new regional plane, Superjet 100, to customers before the end of 2009." No new date was announced. The Moscow Times cited industry sources who said that a certification delay was the cause of the latest delay. SU had expected delivery in December and planned to take one per month for a total of 30.

Emirates President Tim Clark elaborated on the A380 delays mentioned Wednesday by Chairman Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, telling the DPA news agency that three aircraft scheduled to arrive in November and December now will be delivered in December and January. At the end of 2010 EK will operate 15 A380s instead of the planned 20 and it expects to take 11-12 aircraft in both 2012 and 2013. Delivery of its order for 58 should be finished by 2017.

Boeing yesterday said it completed the side-of-body reinforcements on the first 787 Wednesday, installing new fittings at 34 stringer locations within the joint where the wing meets the fuselage, and that first flight remains on track before January.