El Al Israel Airlines signed an agreement for the purchase of two 777-200ERs, the parties announced yesterday. The aircraft, valued at $362 million and powered by Trent 892s, will be delivered in 2007. "The purchase of the 777s is in accordance with El Al's business strategy to acquire widebody long-range aircraft," President Haim Romano said. The carrier currently operates four 777s on routes between Tel Aviv and New York and the Far East.

UPS signed a contract for 10 A380 freighters, firming a commitment it made in January. At that time, UPS cut its A300F order from 90 to 53 and committed to 10 A380s and 10 options (ATWOnline¸ Jan. 11). Deliveries are scheduled between 2009 and 2012. No engine has been selected. The order is worth approximately $2.9 billion at list prices. UPS currently operates 47 A300Fs. The A380F will carry a freight load of 330,000 lb. on three decks with a capacity of 40,000 cu. ft.

Airbus said it will not increase prices for proprietary parts in 2006, thus keeping them at the current level. This is the third consecutive price freeze, Airbus said, and follows price reduction and freeze initiatives taken by Airbus Spares Support and Services over recent years.

Air Canada took delivery of the first of 45 Embraer 190s, which will be configured for two classes. AC placed its initial order in 2003 and subsequently extended it to include 15 Embraer 175s, 13 of which are currently operating in the carrier's fleet. "Having these two E-Jet types, the 73-seat Embraer 175 and the 93-seat Embraer 190, will allow Air Canada to significantly increase its operational flexibility, tailoring aircraft size to market demand without the typical training and logistical transition costs," Embraer Executive VP Fleury Curado said.

Carriage of 8.33 kHz radio equipment above 19,500 ft. in the ICAO EUR Region will be mandatory as of March 15, 2007, Eurocontrol said. Implementation of 8.33 kHz channel spacing above FL195 is a response to the critical shortage of channels in the VHF aerial spectrum (118-137 MHz). Eurocontrol is recommending the strict enforcement of mandatory carriage in order to minimize the operational impact of handling non-8.33 kHz-equipped aircraft. From an aircraft retrofit perspective, the main impact is on Regional turboprop fleets.

Lufthansa "will look seriously at the 747-8," Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber told ATWOnline Saturday at a Star Alliance meeting in Montreal, citing in particular the decision by Boeing to offer the GEnx as the engine for the new model.

Blue1, the SAS subsidiary in Finland, will add three MD-90s, boost ASKs more than 70% and increase its destinations from 14 to 25 with the start of the summer season in March. The Star Alliance regional member will add Athens, Barcelona, Dublin, Dusseldorf, London, Madrid, Nice, Paris, Rome, Warsaw and Zurich to its network. "This heavy expansion is our response to the market need," said Stefan Wentjarvi, president and CEO. The airline said it already is the biggest operator between Finland and Scandinavia.

Aegean Airlines announced yesterday a firm order for eight A320s with 12 options in a move that signals the largely domestic carrier may be primed to compete for greater market share with floundering Olympic Airlines.