Flybe took delivery of its first 118-seat Embraer 195 last week in Sao Paulo. It is the launch customer, having placed a $950 million order for 26 of the type last year (ATWOnline, June 7, 2005). Swiss International Air Lines will acquire a further two A321s and one A320 next spring for its European fleet. The extra capacity will enable the carrier to provide additional feeder services for its long-haul fleet, which will add two A330-200s in November.

Lufthansa will make a long-awaited announcement on the purchase of long-haul aircraft before year end, a spokesperson confirmed to ATWOnline. The decision could come soon: Der Spiegel reported the LH supervisory board will sign off on a deal at a meeting later this month. The carrier is in talks with both Boeing and Airbus and also has had discussions with Embraer and Bombardier about regional jets.

Boeing yesterday named Scott Carson president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes effective immediately, succeeding Alan Mulally, who left the company after 37 years to take over the top spot at troubled Ford Motor Co.

Ethiopian Airlines signed an agreement with Atlasjet to lease a 757-200. The ACMI agreement will be for six months from Sept. 13.

An Iran Air Tours Tu-154M with 148 passengers and crew aboard crashed on landing Friday afternoon in Mashhad, where it skidded off a runway and caught fire, killing at least 29 passengers. It is believed that the flight crew and more than 100 passengers escaped or were rescued from the burning aircraft. The domestic flight, operated by the tour arm of flag carrier Iran Air, originated in Bandar Abbas.

Hainan Airlines parent HNA Group will purchase 50 Embraer 190s and 50 ERJ-145s, the Brazilian manufacturer announced yesterday. The deal is valued at $2.7 billion at list prices and represents a huge step for the Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry joint venture with China Aviation Industry Corp. II, which assembles the 145 and had yet to reach a deal with a mainland carrier, delivering just a dozen aircraft as of May (ATWOnline, May 12). The 106-seat 190s will be built in Sao Jose dos Campos.

Lagging regional aircraft deliveries and sales drove down Bombardier Aerospace's earnings and revenues in the fiscal second quarter ended July 31. The aviation unit of the Canadian transportation manufacturer reported earnings before interest and taxes of $66 million for the quarter, down 13.2% from EBIT of $76 million in the year-ago period, on a 3.6% drop in revenues to $1.89 billon. Bombardier Aerospace President and COO Pierre Beaudoin attributed the falloff to fewer CRJ deliveries and lower margins on commercial aircraft sales.

On a high after posting a second-quarter profit of $305 million (ATWOnline, July 28), US Airways yesterday announced an order for seven A321s and the conversion of existing orders for seven A319s and one A320 into an order for eight additional A321s. Engine selection was not announced. Owing to the merger of US Airways and America West, the carrier operates a mix of IAE V2500- and CFM56-powered A320 family aircraft although its A321s all are CFM56-powered, according to the Ascend CASE database.