Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker said Airbus should offer new engines on its A320s to ward off challenges from Bombardier and stay ahead of Boeing. Speaking to Bloomberg, al-Baker claimed that Pratt & Whitney's PW1000G geared turbofan fitted to the A320 would be "fatal" for Bombardier's CSeries jet, which is slated to enter service in 2013 powered by the same engine (ATWOnline, June 17). Qatar is considering an order for the CSeries and his claims may well be part of the negotiations for a better deal.

Gulf Air took delivery of a new A320, the first of 10 it has on order. They are powered by CFM56s and fitted with 136 seats including 16 in business class. The carrier will add all 10 A320s by the end 2010.

Air Vanuatu took delivery of an ATR 72-500. The aircraft, valued at $20.5 million, is configured with 68 seats.

Embraer delivered 57 jets during the third quarter: 29 for commercial aviation, 27 for executive aviation and one for defense. It has delivered 153 jets this year. Its backlog as of Sept. 30 totaled $18.6 billion, a 6% drop from the $19.8 billion recorded on June 30.

Japan Airlines announced that it will conduct an ASPIRE (Asia and South Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions) flight on Oct. 10. ASPIRE is a joint venture among US FAA, Airservices Australia and Airways New Zealand. Three previous ASPIRE flights were conducted by United Airlines, Qantas and Air New Zealand (ATWOnline, Nov. 17, 2008). JAL's flight will be from Honolulu to Osaka aboard a 747-400.

Libyan Airlines signed a contract with ATR for the purchase of two ATR 42-500s valued at $35 million. The aircraft, to be delivered later this year, will be configured with 48 seats and powered by PW127M engines.

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. said Friday that it has signed a letter of intent with Trans States Holdings, parent of US regional carriers Trans States Airlines and GoJet Airlines, covering a firm order for 50 MRJs plus 50 options.

Air Niugini, the Papua New Guinea flag carrier, placed a firm order for two Q400 NextGen turboprops valued at $92 million plus one option. "The Q400 NextGen aircraft follows in the footsteps of a long line of robust and reliable de Havilland and Bombardier turboprops that have served our airline very well over the years," CEO Wasantha Kumarasiri said. Bombardier now has taken firm orders for 363 Q400s with 257 delivered as of July 31.