Japan Airlines announced it is increasing the number of 747-400BCFs it has on order to eight with four options, up from its October 2004 commitment of three firm orders and four options. Value of the contract was not disclosed. JAL's first 747-400 passenger-to-freighter conversion entered modification at Taikoo Aircraft Engineering in Xiamen last month and will be delivered in May. Boeing said it now has 37 firm orders and 29 options for the aircraft. JAL also ordered four 767-300Fs last year.

SunExpress Airlines of Turkey placed an order with CTT Systems for Zonal Drying Systems to be installed this year on two 737-800s.

Northwest Airlines' markets are particularly well-adapted for new-generation large regional jets, the company argues in a special edition of its internal newsletter Passages. As previously reported, the carrier is seeking permission from its pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Assn., to create a standalone subsidiary to operate 70/100-seat jets (ATWOnline, Jan. 6).

ANA said it will retire its last 747SR March 10 following a flight from Kagoshima to Tokyo Haneda. The carrier's first 747SR took flight 27 years ago. It was the first aircraft to carry 500 passengers in an all-economy configuration. At one point ANA operated a fleet of 23 of the type.

Paramount Airways, an Indian carrier launched last September, will purchase 15 Embraer RJs, according to media reports. MD M. Thiagarajan said a contract valued at $450 million will be signed in the next couple of weeks, with deliveries occurring before year end 2007. The airline ordered five ERJs at the Paris Air Show.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes shattered its single-year sales record by a wide margin in 2005, booking net orders for 1,002 aircraft (1,029 gross). Prior to 2005, Boeing's best year was 1988 when it booked 877 net orders, including McDonnell Douglas orders added retroactively. Last year's performance is even more striking in comparison to 2004, when the company sold 272 jets.

Jagson Airlines of India is to buy or lease up to 19 A320 family aircraft over the next three years. The airline will lease six A320s and acquire an additional 13 from Airbus, transforming it from a regional turboprop operator to a national carrier serving nine major Indian cities by year end. Jagson became India's first private airline in 1992 and focuses on tourist destinations in the states of Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. Recently it also started serving business destinations. Based in Delhi, it operates three 20-seat Do-228s.

TAM Brazilian Airlines selected the GEnx to power the 10 A350-900s it ordered last month (ATWOnline¸ Dec. 22). Delivery of the aircraft will begin in 2012.