Aircraft & Propulsion

Air China has approved a plan to buy 100 Airbus aircraft for its subsidiary as the Chinese flag carrier seeks to expand its fleet.

GE Aviation is investigating the use of ceramic matrix composite (CMC) blades and nozzles for future engines, building on the CMC shroud that will debut on CFM International’s new LEAP engines.

African low-cost carrier Fastjet has secured a Boeing 737-300 on wet lease from Johannesburg-based Starcargo Airlines, pending clearance to deploy its own Airbus A319s in South Africa.

Embraer president and CEO-commercial aviation Paulo Cesar Souza e Silva said the “second generation” E-Jet, while not an all-new aircraft, will be “much, much more than a re-engine.”

Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines Group will add a fifth Boeing 777-200ER to its fleet from summer 2014.

Airbus reported it received 83 new bookings for April, the largest order from Turkish Airlines for 53 A321neos and four A320neos, along with 25 current engine A321s.

[UPDATED] As Calgary-based WestJet announced its “best ever quarterly earnings for the third consecutive quarter,” it entered into an agreement with Boeing to purchase 10 737-800 NextGen aircraft in 2014 and 2015.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker has told reporters in Dubai that he is in talks for 10-15 Airbus A330s.

Bombardier said it is in the “final phase” of CSeries ground testing in advance of starting the flight testing program by the end of June.

Rolls-Royce has appointed Tony Wood to be the next president of its Aerospace division, replacing Mark King, who has resigned after four months in the role.

Aircraft News

St. Petersburg-based Rossiya Airlines has completed its fleet renewal program.

AJW Capital Partners, part of the AJW Group of companies, has delivered two Airbus A340-500s to Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL).

Ukraine International Airlines has added six leased aircraft to its fleet as part of a renewal and expansion program.

Qatar Airways has reportedly said it would receive compensation from Boeing for the Jan. 16 grounding of the carrier’s five 787s, which should be placed in service with battery system modifications before the end of the month.

Las Vegas, Nev.-based Allegiant Travel Co. has purchased one Airbus A319 aircraft that was previously operated by easyJet.

Irish regional Aer Arann has taken delivery of its first of eight ATR 72-600s.

Boeing has started initial sales efforts on the 777X in advance of an expected launch of the next-generation aircraft.

CFM International said it has “completed design freeze” for its LEAP-1B engine that will exclusively power the Boeing 737 MAX.

Air Lease Corp. announced long-term lease agreements with Korean Air for two new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which are scheduled for delivery in November 2014 and May 2015.

Thomson Airways has confirmed it will soon take delivery of its first Boeing 787, which will enter commercial service July 8.

Small jet manufacturers are planning to invest heavily in their platforms and increase the size of current aircraft. Superjet International VP business development John Buckley revealed plans at the ISTAT Americas 2013 conference in Orlando in March to stretch the 100-seat Sukhoi SuperJet to 120-130 seats. “As we move forward, we will be stretching the aircraft to 120-130 seats and begin to have a family of aircraft,” he said.

Embraer has earned a first-quarter net profit of $30 million, down 71.3% from a $104.6 million net income in the year-ago period.

Independent holiday charter Small Planet Airlines is replacing its leased older Boeing 737-300s with leased newer Airbus A320 aircraft.

Airbus Americas has named David Paul Hills as director, research and technology (R&T)-Airbus Americas, effective May 1.