Pulkovo Airlines Tu-154M's flight data and cockpit voice recorders were recovered yesterday by workers sifting through the debris of Tuesday's crash near Donetsk in Ukraine that killed 170 passengers and crew (ATWOnline, Aug. 23). "Both recorders seem to be in satisfactory condition," Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin said, adding that the devices will be sent to Moscow for examination.

A Pulkovo Airlines Tu-154M en route from Anapa to St. Petersburg carrying 160 passengers and 10 crew crashed yesterday in Ukraine, killing all aboard. The crash was the third and deadliest in the region in less than four months, following the Armavia A320 accident in May (ATWOnline, July 27) and the S7 Airlines A310-300 overrun at Irkutsk last month (ATWOnline, July 11).

Lufthansa CityLine took delivery yesterday of an 84-seat CRJ900, the first of a dozen that will come into the fleet this year. They will be replacing 50-seat CRJs as the company continues reconfiguring its fleet. "With the new aircraft model, Lufthansa CityLine is taking a major step forward economically and technologically and is thus ideally prepared to face up to the future competition," MD Thomas Drager said. First destinations for the new type include Munich, Brussels, Lyon, Munster/Osnabruck, Nice, Oslo and Geneva.

Mesa Air Group CEO Jonathan Ornstein said that Mesa's go! subsidiary would be profitable if it operated 90-seat aircraft. He told the Phoenix Business Journal that the Hawaii startup that began service in June with 50-seat CRJs is losing money only because of the size of the aircraft. He confirmed he is in discussions with the two major regional aircraft manufacturers about switching to 90-seat RJs by next summer.

Boeing looks set to announce more customers for its 747-8F as it closes the case for stretching the Intercontinental version.

Centavia of Serbia took delivery of a second 98-seat BAe 146-200. The startup LCC currently is operating charter flights only but is planning to launch European scheduled service in the fall.

Monarch Airlines placed an order for six 787-8s with purchase rights on an additional four. The order is worth $916 million at list prices. The UK airline said the Dreamliners will form the core of its future long-haul fleet, which currently comprises A330s, A300s and 767s. The 787s are scheduled for delivery from the end of 2010 though 2013. "Operating successfully in the leisure market requires flexible and innovative products. With the 787's longer-range capabilities, we will be opening up new destinations in the Americas, Asia and Africa," CEO Peter Brown said.

Honeywell International will supply avionics and APUs to Air Deccan for the airline's fleet of 67 A320 family aircraft. Deliveries start this year and continue through 2011. The systems include the 131-9[A] APU and a full avionics suite that comprises EGPWS, ACAS II, RDR-4B weather radar, FDRs and CVRs, Quantum Line communications and navigation system and Air Data Inertial Reference System.