Royal Air Maroc signed a purchase agreement Nov. 2 in Casablanca finalizing its acquisition of five 787s for $650 million (ATWOnline, Aug. 11). The first aircraft is due to be delivered in October 2008, the airline said in a statement.

Airbus has started testing the A380's range and fuel-burn characteristics, according to COO and Head-A380 Program Charles Champion. Speaking to ATWOnline, Champion said he didn't expect any surprises: "We have already done some tests with MSN 001 but these were done with engines that were not optimized. We are very confident of meeting our guarantees." The fuel burn and payload/range tests will be done with MSN 004, which flew recently (ATWOnline, Oct. 19). Champion added that Airbus found no problems with the flight envelope and no issues with the structural tests.

Boeing and Ariana Afghan Airlines finalized a fleet renewal plan Tuesday in Dubai calling for the lease of two 757-200s from Boeing Capital Corp. to be delivered this month and the purchase of four 737-700s for delivery beginning in 2009. The agreement also includes an advanced training package for the 757-200s.

Oman Air retrofitted three 737-800s with Aviation Partners Boeing Blended Winglet shipsets. The installations were completed at Malaysian Air Systems in Kuala Lumpur. The airline said it is the first blended winglet operator in the Middle East.

Goodrich Corp. was chosen by Hamilton Sundstrand Power Systems to supply an integrated fuel injection system for the APS5000 APU for the 787. Boeing earlier awarded Goodrich contracts for the 787's cargo handling system, wheels and electronic braking, exterior lighting, nacelles and thrust reversers, proximity sensing system, fuel quantity indicators and fuel management software.

Denim Air's new CEO, Matthijs Boertien, said the carrier is evaluating larger aircraft including the F70/F100 or members of the Embraer 170/190 family. A decision could be made by spring. Denim currently operates 14 F50s and five Dash 8s on an ACMI basis. Most recently, it secured agreements to operate F50s for Air Mauritania and Air Senegal, Boertien said. The airline also unveiled an ACMI Plus service, which provides full operational support that includes sales distribution and marketing support.

After an all-night flight to Brazil, JetBlue CEO David Neeleman was ready to take delivery of the first 100-seat, GE CF34-powered Embraer 190. But there was an unexpected snag: He had forgotten to pack a necktie for the ceremony. Aides scrambled to find one. After a few phone calls, someone came up with a yellow silk print tie that would go with Neeleman's dark blazer and tan pants. And who helped out early that September morning? "My job is to make David look good," says JetBlue COO Dave Barger with a laugh. "I'm the operations guy, so it is expected that I should have a tie."

You can say this about Piedmont Airlines: It is a company with staying power. Since its formation in 1931 it has changed names, ownership, aircraft and location, yet still it lives today as a wholly owned subsidiary of US Airways operating in the Major's Express network. That resilience will serve Piedmont well as it confronts the possibility of still more change ahead after US Airways' merger with America West Airlines in late September.