Aircraft & Propulsion

Austral Líneas Aéreas, a subsidiary of Aerolíneas Argentina Group, has agreed to purchase two Embraer E-190s.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines has signed a letter of intent to wet lease four new ATR 72-600 aircraft for 36 months from Danish carrier Jet Time.

Airbus is demonstrating a mock-up of its wider A320 economy aisle seats at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg in the hope of attracting a launch customer for the seating variant.

Airbus started construction Monday on an A320 family manufacturing facility in Mobile, Ala., where it plans to begin assembling narrowbodies in 2015 for delivery starting in 2016.

Boeing conducted a second 787 test flight related to the certification of its fix for the aircraft’s lithium ion batteries.

Oneworld member LAN Colombia is adding three new Boeing 767-300ERs on key international routes as part of a $360 million upgrade strategy.

Jeddah-based Saudi Airlines Cargo Co. (Saudia Cargo) has received its first Boeing 747-8F, which will begin commercial operations in May.

Russia’s Sberbank signaled its commitment to the commercial aircraft leasing business with an order for 12 Boeing 737-800s to be operated by Transaero.

Airbus tallied 431 gross orders in just the first quarter of 2013 and said Thursday it has boosted A330 production to the rate of 10 aircraft per month.

Boeing delivered 137 commercial aircraft in the first quarter while securing gross orders for 220 aircraft during the three-month period.

Boeing has opened its new expanded Everett Delivery Center (EDC) for the 747-8, 767, 777 and 787.

International Airlines Group (IAG) has converted 18 Boeing 787 options into firm orders for British Airways.

Boeing planned to operate another 787 test flight Wednesday, but the company clarified it is unrelated to the battery issue that grounded the Dreamliner fleet.

Qatar Airways and Boeing are in talks regarding the 777X, CEO Akbar Al Baker told ATW.

Aircraft News

Austrian Airlines Group has phased out its final Boeing 737-800 as part of its restructuring process to eliminate the brand Lauda Air.

LOT Polish Airlines has taken an Airbus A330 on wet lease from Portuguese lessor Hi Fly as an interim measure during the Boeing 787 grounding.

The new EADS board of directors elected Denis Ranque as chairman and reappointed Tom Enders as CEO at its first formal meeting.

Boeing operated a 787 test flight Monday, though it was unrelated to the battery issue that has grounded the worldwide Dreamliner fleet.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) said it continues to assume the Boeing 787 will be grounded through the end of May, but it has yet not decided how it will handle 787-designated routes from June 1.

Avcorp reported $20.6 million net income for the full year 2012, reversed from a net loss of $2.5 million in 2011.

Boeing chairman, president and CEO Jim McNerney expressed confidence in the company’s fix for the 787’s battery system and predicted the aircraft’s grounding will be lifted soon.

Danish lessor Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) has signed a firm purchase agreement for four Bombardier Q400 NextGens to be placed with Latvian carrier airBaltic.

Air Berlin and its major shareholder, Etihad Airways, are in talks with Boeing to switch its 787-8 order to the bigger -9 version, CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer told ATW onboard Air Berlin’s first flight from Berlin to Chicago O’Hare

Lao Central Airlines and Indonesia’s Sky Aviation announced their first Sukhoi Superjet 100s (SSJ100s) have launched their first flights.