Lufthansa will phase out its last A300-600 on July 1 following a flight from Rome Fiumicino to Frankfurt as part of the company's effort to cut €300 million ($421.6 million) in costs this year. The type served as the backbone of LH's continental fleet for 22 years. It operated 26 A300s in addition to 24 A310-200s/300s. All the A300-600s have been offered for sale and some already have been purchased.

CASC/Airbus Customer Services training and support center in Beijing is looking to adjust its business model as more airlines acquire their own simulators, MD-Administration and Programs Michelle Pierre Petit told ATWOnline last week. The 18,800-sq.-m. facility, which opened in 1997, includes two A320 and one A330/A340 simulators. "More airlines buying their own simulators means we have to also focus on training the trainers," Petit said. The facility has about 20 airline customers, but there currently are 16 A320 FFSs in China with more to come.

International Aero Engines President and CEO Jon Beatty said the V2500, which had a "slow start" in China because it was not the first engine available for the A320, will gain traction now that it is powering nine of the first 10 aircraft assembled at the new Tianjin FAL. Its first was delivered Tuesday to Sichuan Airlines (ATWOnline, June 24). "I see growing potential here in China," he told ATWOnline. The Chinese government has ordered 600 A320s for delivery in four blocks.

Boeing and GE Aviation yesterday said they have "jointly developed a simpler method to implement condition-based maintenance systems on aircraft." Called Open System Architecture for Condition-Based Maintenance, the system will provide "a 10-fold increase in real time performance. . .making it practical for embedded health monitoring of aircraft systems," GE Aviation President-Avionics John Armendarez said.

Embraer yesterday delivered a second 86-seat E-175 to Brazil's Trip Linhas Aereas, which last year placed a firm order for five plus 10 options and 15 purchase rights (ATWOnline, June 20, 2008).

ANA said yesterday that it is "disappointed" with the latest 787 program delay (see story above) and is seeking a new delivery schedule from Boeing "as quickly as possible."

Airbus yesterday delivered the first A320 built at its Tianjin final assembly line to Sichuan Airlines, while executives told ATWOnline that the company's effort to expand its profile in China has included discussions with Air China and China Eastern Airlines about the A380.

Boeing delayed 787 first flight, expected to take place this week, again yesterday, citing "a series of relatively small areas" on both sides of the aircraft's body in the "upper wing join area" that registered stress levels during static testing that "exceeded expectations."