Boeing said it delivered 100 commercial aircraft in the third quarter, a significant increase over the 62 delivered in the third quarter of 2005 when production was compromised by a 27-day assembly workers' strike. Deliveries comprised 81 737NGs, three 747s, three 767s and 13 777s. Year-to-date deliveries total 295 compared to 217 in the year-ago period. The vast majority (223) were 737NGs, followed by five 717s (including three under operating lease), 11 747s, nine 767s and 47 777s.

Airbus CEO Christian Streiff admitted that the manufacturer now is up to a whole decade behind rival Boeing, while parent EADS co-CEO Tom Enders conceded that it no longer may be feasible to pursue the A350 XWB program. The revelations came yesterday as Airbus continued to deal with the fallout from Tuesday's announcement that the A380 will be delayed an additional year and the company will undergo a radical restructuring dubbed "Power8" aimed at slashing overhead costs by 30% (ATWOnline, Oct. 4).

Northwest Airlines yesterday set the stage for post-bankruptcy operations and the launch of its Compass regional subsidiary with orders for 36 CRJ900s and 36 Embraer 175s, plus an undisclosed number of options, which the carrier said will allow it "to pursue growth opportunities in important markets, including in the Heartland of the US, and provide Northwest with improved aircraft economics."

Rolls-Royce announced that Monarch Airlines selected the Trent 1000 to power its order for six firm 787s scheduled for delivery from 2010 (ATWOnline, Aug. 21). The deal includes four purchase rights and a lifetime TotalCare service agreement and is worth $1 billion at list prices.

Silverjet, a UK startup that will offer business-class service between London Luton and Newark, announced the acquisition of charter carrier Flyjet and aircraft lessor Skylease, for which it will pay a combined £4-£5.5 million ($7.5-$10.4 million) over three years depending on its performance. Flyjet provides an AOC and an operating license while Skylease offers immediate use of a 767-200. It also leases two 757-200s to tour operators through Flyjet.

Travel Service of the Czech Republic placed an order for two firm 737-900ERs plus two purchase rights, Boeing announced this week. The order is valued at $150 million at list prices and deliveries to the Prague-based carrier will commence in the fourth quarter of 2009. Travel Service operates a fleet of 10 737s including seven dash 800s, offering scheduled services through its Smart Wings brand and charter services to more than 230 destinations.

PrivatAir of Switzerland will take delivery of a 767-300ER in December and reconfigure it as a 56-seat luxury charter aircraft. It will be placed into service in April, replacing a 28-seat BBJ.

BAE Systems shareholders, as expected, voted in favor of management's plan to sell its 20% holding in Airbus to EADS for €2.75 billion ($3.52 billion), making EADS the sole stakeholder, while lawmakers and labor unions warned Airbus that they may challenge the "Power8" restructuring plans outlined Tuesday to deliver €2.1 billion in cost reductions and drive €5 billion in cumulative cash savings by 2010 (ATWOnline, Oct. 4).