Porter Airlines reached agreement with Bombardier to convert two existing options on 70-seat Q400s into firm orders. Aircraft will be the 17th and 18th in the Toronto-based regional's fleet. Value of the new contract is $52 million at list prices.

Transaero DG Olga Pleshakova said the carrier plans to announce an order for six A350 XWBs or A380s very soon. She told the Vedomosti business daily that the airline is awaiting a detailed offer from Airbus, adding that the A350 "is a more economical aircraft" than the 787. Transaero has ordered eight A330-200s and four A320s but currently operates no Airbus equipment. It expects its fleet to reach 43 by year end, up from 38 one year ago. It recently took delivery of its first 777-200.

Clickair, Iberia's low-cost affiliate, plans to ground seven or eight aircraft for the winter season owing to anticipated weak demand, a spokesperson told Reuters.

Pinnacle Airlines will operate seven additional CRJ900s for Delta Air Lines that are being returned by another unidentified Delta Connection carrier. Three will arrive this month and another four in November. Pinnacle will lease the aircraft from DL on a short-term basis and return them as five ordered CRJ900s are delivered from Bombardier from January through May 2009. Pinnacle currently operates 11 CRJ900s (nine for DL).

Rockwell Collins was selected by Air Arabia to provide a package of communication, navigation and surveillance avionics for 59 forthcoming A320s. Package includes RC's WXR-2100 MultiScan Hazard Detection System. Deliveries are scheduled from 2009 through 2013.

Pratt & Whitney Canada announced integration of its customer service and support center groups into one organization. Move aims to streamline point of contact through Web tools, advance parts availability and improve TATs.

More than 1,000 aircraft will leave the global airline fleet by the end of this year through either retirements or carrier failures, according to Ascend Director Eddy Pieniazek, who spoke yesterday in a webcast presented by the UK-based aviation consultancy and information services firm.

Airbus COO-Customers John Leahy said the manufacturer has agreed to sell 280 additional aircraft to Chinese airlines. He was in Tianjin earlier this week to mark the opening of the newest A320 Family Final Assembly Line (ATWOnline, Sept. 30). According to multiple news service reports, Leahy said as many as 160 of the new aircraft orders could be approved by Beijing and officially announced by year end. They will help Airbus tally about 850 total orders for 2008, he added.