Singapore Airlines' second A380 service, a return flight from Sydney (ATWOnline, Oct. 26), was delayed more than 2 hr. Friday when the Australian city was hit by severe thunderstorms and heavy rain.

Oct. 25--The boarding was like no other--almost every passenger had a camera in order to document almost every aspect of the A380's first commercial flight.

Aeroflot Cargo said it will decide by year end whether to purchase up to 10 777 freighters, according to statements from the board cited in Russian press reports. Delivery would be scheduled for 2012-15. SU Cargo currently operates four DC-10s but launched an MD-11 conversion program two months ago (ATWOnline Aug. 27).

Etihad Airways will issue an RFP next year for an aircraft order "of a good size," CEO James Hogan revealed to ATWOnline at the Arab Air Carriers Organization AGM in Damascus. The order will be for both short- and long-haul types and will be for "at least 20-25 aircraft," he said without revealing further details. "The order will cover in part the recycle needs of our current fleet and in part incremental requirements," he noted. Hogan added that it is premature to conclude if Etihad will move toward an all-Airbus fleet.

Taca Group placed an order for 11 E-190s plus 15 options, Embraer announced. The order, which had been on the manufacturer's books as unidentified, is worth $379.5 million at list prices and could reach $897 million if all options are exercised. Aircraft will be configured with 88 economy and eight executive class seats, with deliveries planned to begin in the second half of next year.

China Southern Airlines posted a net profit of CNY1.88 billion ($249.5 million) in the third quarter, up 49% from the CNY1.29 billion earned in the year-ago quarter, on a 16.9% lift in operating revenue to CNY16.5 billion and a 10.2% increase in expenses to CNY12.33 billion.

Boeing reported third-quarter net income of $1.1 billion, up 61% over a net profit of $694 million in the year-ago period, and insisted that 787 program delays will have minimal financial impact beyond a slight decrease in projected 2008 revenue.

Niki will add two A320s to its fleet as soon as possible in order to open new routes from Vienna to Milan Malpensa, Warsaw, Sophia, Bucharest Otopeni and Istanbul Ataturk, founder Niki Lauda told ATWOnline. He said he needs the additional aircraft to compete with SkyEurope Airlines' enhanced VIE service.