Airline CFOs around the world are pessimistic about industry finances over the next 12 months, expecting soaring costs to erode profitability further despite rising traffic, according to the IATA Business Confidence Index released yesterday.

Air Atlanta Icelandic signed a wet-lease agreement with Saudi Arabian Airlines, adding a sixth 747 to the fleet AAI operates on behalf of Saudi Arabian. The 747-200SF will operate cargo services between Dammam, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Brussels for one year.

Pratt & Whitney concluded the Farnborough Airshow by announcing that Uzbekistan Airways selected PW4000s to power four firm 767s it has on order in a deal valued at more than $130 million. Deliveries are slated to begin in 2013. It also said that AWAS Aviation Trading Ltd. selected IAE V2500s to power 30 A320s to be delivered in 2011-15 in a deal valued at $166 million. AWAS currently owns a fleet of 29 A320-family aircraft powered by V2500s.

Sukhoi Holding CEO Mikhail Pogosyan is maintaining the initial forecast that the Sukhoi Superjet 100 will capture a 15%-17% share of the global 60/120-seat regional jet market over the next 20 years despite the industry downturn and entry into the market of Mitsubishi and China's AVIC.

Kenya Airways will take delivery of a third 72-seat E-170LR in August in addition to the first of three 737-800s it expects to take this year.

Swiss International Air Lines took delivery of its 15th A340-300 last week. The former Air Canada aircraft joins a fleet of 24 widebodies including 10 A330-200s.

Singapore Airlines CEO Chew Choon Seng told ATWOnline last week in Cairo that SIA's five A380s are flying very reliably. "But the most important thing for us is the aircraft is very popular with our passengers. Overall A380 load factor on scheduled flights has risen up to 90%," he said. Chew said the aircraft has enabled SIA to increase capacity on certain routes for the first time in 10 years. It had not had been able to do so operating 747-400s.

Heavy noncash impairment charges and record fuel prices sent American Airlines parent AMR Corp. plunging to a $1.45 billion second-quarter net loss, reversed from a $317 million profit in the year-ago quarter. The noncash charges, announced this month (ATWOnline, July 3), comprise a $1.1 billion writedown of the value of certain aircraft and related assets and approximately $55 million in employee severance-related costs. Excluding the charges, AMR's second-quarter loss was $284 million.