Blue Wings yesterday confirmed its July order for 20 A320 family aircraft (ATWOnline, July 25), according to press reports. The order comprises 16 150-seat A320s and four 210-seat A321s. Separately, Reuters reported that Blue Wings is the customer for five A320s sold by JetBlue Airways last month. (ATWOnline, Sept. 25). JetBlue said the aircraft will be delivered by mid-November.

General Electric said the GEnx order for Emirates' 10 747-8s (ATWOnline, Oct. 10) covers 45 engines and is valued at more than $600 million. The carrier also signed a 10-year, $300 million OnPoint Solutions MRO agreement.

Korean Air will place an order for 10 freighters by year end, most likely a combination of 777Fs and 747-8Fs, and also is "considering" orders for the 777-300ER and/or the 747-8 Intercontinental, according to senior executives who briefed reporters yesterday in Seoul. Korean Air Cargo President Ken Choi said the airline "definitely, for sure" will place an order for 10 freighters within the next 2.5 months. "The time is now pressing," he said. "We need them [to begin delivery] by 2010."

Lufthansa is refining its hub management strategy. From Jan. 1 it will transfer network management tasks and processes to its hubs. According to LH staff magazine Lufthanseat, the process will begin with the winter schedule as short- and medium-haul aircraft are firmly assigned to the Frankfurt and Munich hubs or to a nonhub area on the basis of their tail number. Aircraft may be reassigned at the base for economic or operational reasons but will not be transferred to another hub. With the 2007 summer schedule, long-haul aircraft will be assigned on the same principle.

Emirates President Tim Clark denied rumors that the airline may cancel some of its A380 orders. Speaking to ATWOnline in Sydney, Clark said Emirates wants the aircraft as soon as possible: "Certainly the delay is a serious setback to our growth plans but we want the aircraft."

NavAero said its tBagC22 received an STC as a Class 2 Electronic Flight Bag on A320 family aircraft. The EFB will be deployed first by Virgin America. NavAero also received an STC for its Class 2 EFB for MD-10/-11 series aircraft. Although it did not disclose the name of the launch customer, it is believed to be FedEx.

Swiss International Air Lines will lease two A340-300s from Austrian Airlines. Including a previously announced lease of two A330-200s from Lufthansa, Swiss will increase its long-haul fleet to 11 A330-200s and 11 A340-300s in the next several months.

Virgin America unveiled its first aircraft, an A320 named Jefferson Airplane, yesterday in San Francisco in a ceremony attended by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The startup, which has leased 34 A320s, still has not received a go-ahead from US authorities while potential US competitors challenge its citizenship, claiming that real control rests with Richard Branson's Virgin Group, not US investors. The unveiling indicated the carrier is "ready, willing and able to fly," CEO Fred Reid told reporters in attendance. DOT is expected to issue a ruling in January.