Embraer delivered a record 204 jets in 2008, 20.7% higher than the 169 reported in 2007, comprising 162 commercial aircraft, 36 executive jets and six for government use. Year-end backlog was valued at $20.9 billion and included 426 commercial aircraft. Commercial aircraft deliveries during 2008 comprised six ERJ-145s, nine E-170s, 55 E-175s, 78 E-190s and 14 E-195s.

A year that featured soaring fuel prices, a slumping global economy and a 58-day machinist strike ended with 662 net commercial aircraft orders for Boeing, a steep drop from the record 1,413 garnered in 2007. The 662 orders is the eighth-highest annual total on record for Boeing. The 737NG again was the manufacturer's most popular model with 484 net orders. It sold 93 787s, "primarily [to] Middle East customers," as well as 54 777s, 28 767-300ERs and three 747-8Is.

Saudi Arabian LCC Nas Air took delivery of three new 110-seat E-190s from Embraer, the Arab Air Carriers Org. reported. Nas now operates 14 aircraft and signed a maintenance support agreement covering them with Lufthansa Technik.

Airstream International Group was named as exclusive agent to offer for sale or lease one BAe 146-200 and one -300 on behalf of Tronos Ltd. Aircraft most recently were operated by Flightline Ltd. on behalf of BA CityFlyer.

Joint US/Australia naval communications base in Exmouth, Western Australia, is not to blame for two air data inertial reference unit failures on Qantas A330s (ATWOnline, Jan. 6), according to the base manager. Russell Levine told The Sydney Morning Herald that it was "highly, highly unlikely" that radio signals from the base could scramble a commercial aircraft's navigation systems because the two use completely different frequency bands. Levine said the very low frequency signals from the Harold E.

Continental Airlines 737-500 that crashed on takeoff at Denver last month suffered a ruptured fuel tank in the right wing (ATWOnline, Dec. 23, 2008), causing fuel to spill onto the engine, National Transportation Safety Board investigators said, according to the Rocky Mountain News.

Russian aerospace manufacturer NPK Irkut invited bids from both domestic and foreign suppliers to provide engines and major systems for the prospective medium-range MS-21 twinjet.

The mystery surrounding what is now dubbed the Ningaloo Triangle centered at Western Australia's North West Cape near Exmouth deepened last week when it was confirmed that Qantas experienced a second air data inertial reference unit failure in just four months in the area (ATWOnline, Nov. 17, 2008).