Austrian Airlines will add a fourth 777-200ER to its fleet by December 2006. "This aircraft is a first replacement for our two A340-200s we just sold. And we can use the 777 as a backup for our Australia operations and as well when there is a need for higher capacity to destinations like Delhi or Bangkok," CEO Vagn Soerensen told ATWOnline. In an effort at further streamlining, Austrian plans also to sell its last 737-600 and three CRJ100s.

Continental Airlines selected General Electric's GEnx engine to power its recently ordered fleet of 10 787s, becoming the first North American customer for the powerplant on the 787. GE valued the order at more than $250 million. Deliveries are set to begin in 2009. The other customer for the GEnx on the Dreamliner is First Choice of the UK with six aircraft on order. The GEnx still is the exclusive engine being offered on the proposed A350 and GE and Airbus have signed agreements to transition to firm orders for 122 aircraft with seven customers.

Qantas appears to be moving toward a 787/777 order after airline sources confirmed to ATWOnline that the carrier and Boeing are close to finalizing a longer-range variant of the 777-200LR that would have a reach of just over 10,000 nm. (18,500 km.), enabling the Australian airline to operate from Sydney to London nonstop year round with 250 passengers.

Engine Alliance, the General Electric/Pratt & Whitney joint venture to develop the GP7200 for the A380, delivered the first four compliance/flight test engines to Toulouse yesterday. Engine certification is expected later this year.

Hong Kong Express took delivery of an Embraer 170, making it the first operator in Asia of the 170/190 series. It will take delivery of three by year end and one in early 2006. All will be leased from GE Commercial Aviation Services and will be configured for 76 seats in a single-class layout.

Smiths Aerospace and Isothermal Systems Research announced a strategic alliance. "Smiths' industry leading electronics coupled with ISR's SprayCool technology means Smiths is taking aggressive steps to provide customers with even greater performance avionics that can only be enabled by the most modern thermal management solutions," the companies said in a statement. Smiths is developing the Common Core for the 787.

Air France exercised options for three additional CFM56-powered A318s seating 123 in a single-class layout. AF launched the model in 1999 with an order for 15. It brought its first A318 into service in October 2003 and currently operates nine fitted with seating for 34 passengers in business class and 72 in coach. It will take delivery of nine more, including the three newly ordered aircraft, between now and spring 2007.

Boeing now sees a possible go-ahead decision on the 747ADV program in early December. In the meantime, the manufacturer continues to make refinements to the design. It re-lofted the outboard section of the wing and opted for single-slotted outboard flaps. Inboard, double-slotted flaps replace the current triple-slotted devices. Boeing also has decided to use the slightly larger 777 windows.