EADS is looking for external candidates to replace Noel Forgeard as Airbus president and CEO when he moves up to EADS this summer, according to La Tribune. The French newspaper said the search began after EADS' German shareholders refused to promote Gerard Blanc, currently executive VP-operations at Airbus, to CEO. Forgeard supported Blanc as his successor. Reportedly, Forgeard offered the job to Air France COO Pierre Henri Gourgeon, but he refused it. Forgeard is expected to present his successor at the group's annual general meeting on May 11.

Finnair will retire its 10 MD-80s "at an accelerated rate" by fall 2006. As a result of the premature retirement, the European and domestic fleet of Finnair Group will consist of 29 A320 family aircraft and 12 Embraer 170s that will be acquired over the next two years, with the first being delivered this autumn. The airline has options for a further eight aircraft. Finnair also said lease agreements for four 757s used for leisure flights have been renewed, replacing accords that were signed before aircraft values plunged following 9/11.

The US and EU failed to settle their dispute over civil aircraft launch aid by yesterday's mutually agreed-upon deadline, leaving both parties free to make their case at the World Trade Organization.

Astro-Med said Airbus placed an order for the development of a special airborne digital data recorder for "final pre-delivery testing" of the A380, A400M and other aircraft. The order is a follow-on to a contract awarded to Astro-Med in 2003 for a special airborne version of the Everest Telemetry Recorder-Workstation for use in the development and flight testing of the A380.

Cathay Pacific Airways may be further away from a new long-haul aircraft order than has been speculated previously. COO Tony Tyler told ATWOnline that the airline is evaluating both the 747ADV and A380 and the 777-300ER/A340-600, plus "other possible available options for long-haul aircraft," but that it "will not approach the market until we are ready. . .Our needs until the end of 2007 are already provided for, so we are not in a rush to make any decisions on future acquisitions."

ACSS, an L-3 Communications and Thales company, earned type certification for T2CAS, its combined traffic and terrain collision avoidance system, on all Airbus aircraft: A300-600s, A310s, A318s, A319s, A320s, A321s, A330s and A340s.

Goodrich's campaign to grow through acquisition has produced a company of sufficient mass that in the current business climate, "there is lots of business to supply us with good organic growth," President, Chairman and CEO Marshall Larsen told this website.

CSA Czech Airlines finalized an agreement to purchase six CFM56-5B6/P-powered A319s and six CFM56-5B4/P-powered A320s with deliveries scheduled from March 2006 to September 2008. The order was announced last October and the two parties agreed on the final text of the agreement late last month (ATWOnline, March 30). "The purchase of aircraft is another step to fulfill the CSA strategy for the 2004-2014 period," Chairman and President Jaroslav Tvrdik said.