American International Group named former Airbus North America President and CEO Henri Courpron to the post of president and CEO of subsidiary ILFC. He succeeds ILFC Vice Chairman Alan Lund, who has served as president and CEO since March.Steven Udvar-Hazy retired from the post in February after he was unable to arrange a purchase of the aircraft leasing giant he founded ( ATWOnline, Feb. 8). Courpron will be based in ILFC's Los Angeles headquarters.
Lufthansa yesterday took delivery of its first A380-800 in a ceremony at Airbus's Hamburg facility. The Trent 900-powered aircraft is the first of 15 A380s that LH has on order. It expects to receive three more this year and four in 2011.
Copa Airlines took delivery of two new 737-800s as part of its ongoing fleet and network expansion. Copa said including these deliveries, it has received five of the eight aircraft it expects to take in 2010.
Pamir AirwaysAn-24B turboprop crashed in a mountain pass in Afghanistan yesterday morning at approximately 9:30 a.m. local time, killing all 43 passengers and crew on the aircraft, according to the Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network. Flight PM112 was en route from Kunduz to Kabul when it went down near the Salang Pass north of Kabul. Heavy fog was reported in the area of the accident, ASN stated.
Boeing yesterday announced that it will increase 737NG production from the current 31.5 per month to 34 per month in early 2012. "The planned rate increase is aimed at satisfying continued strong demand," the manufacturer said. "In addition, the company continues to study further potential 737 rate increases, given continued customer demand."
Southern Air and Malaysia Airlines Cargo signed a multiyear wet-lease agreement for three 747 freighters with crew, maintenance and insurance. MASkargo also has the option to lease up to five aircraft.
Airbus parent EADS reported first-quarter net income of €103 million ($129.7 million), down 39.4% from a €170 million profit in the year-ago period, and said it remains behind on A380 production, a program that "continues to weigh significantly on the underlying performance." CFO Hans Peter Ring admitted, "We are still trying to reduce the amount of outstanding work on the A380." He predicted 20 will be delivered this year, well below the 45 originally slated for 2010.
Boeing announced that it conducted initial engine starts on the first GE GEnx-powered 787 Monday. The aircraft, ZA005, is the fifth 787 off the line. First flight is expected later in the quarter. The first four Dreamliners are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000s.
A nearly new A330-200 operated by Afriqiyah Airways crashed on final approach to Tripoli early Wednesday, killing 103 of the 104 people aboard, including 11 crewmembers. The accident was the deadliest so far in 2010. A boy from the Netherlands reportedly was the lone survivor. The crash occurred as Flight 8U771, en route from Johannesburg, was attempting to land at Tripoli International at about 6 a.m. local time. All but 11 of the passengers were continuing onward to European destinations, according to a statement from the airline.
Embraer announced that LOT Polish Airlines converted orders for four E-175s into the larger E-195 with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2011. Aircraft are part of a follow-on order for a dozen E-175s placed in late 2007 at a time when the carrier already operated six E-170s and four E-175s. Four E-170s from the 2007 order were delivered in 2009 and four more will be delivered this year. LOT holds two options and 10 purchase rights for the E-175 as well. It took its first E-170 in March 2004, becoming the first European airline to operate a member of the E-Jet family.
US Export-Import Bank and Turkish airline SunExpress reached a $220 million financing deal to support the carrier's purchase of "several" CFM56-powered 737-800s. It will be the airline's first collaboration with Ex-Im.
Bombardier confirmed that ANA last year ordered five Q400 NextGen aircraft plus five options. It announced the order in 2009 but did not name the airline. Based on list prices, the firm portion is valued at approximately $159 million and could increase to $332 million if all five options are converted. Bombardier has booked firm orders for 378 Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft with 288 delivered as of Jan. 31.
Airbus COO-Customers John Leahy said Monday that the company may not have a decision on whether to re-engine the A320 family at the upcoming Farnborough Airshow in July but expects to have one by year end. Speaking at the Airbus Innovation Days event in the UK available via webcast, Leahy said, "We go back and forth and the answer has not been taken yet and will not be taken for another couple months and…may have to wait until the end of the year."
AerCap Holdings reported net income of $34.4 million for the first quarter ended March 31, up 14.8% compared to income of $30 million in the year-ago period. Excluding the impact of mark-to-market interest rate caps, net income jumped 48.2% to $46.7 million from $31.5 million last year. During the quarter, the Amsterdam-based operating lessor completed its acquisition of Genesis Lease in an all-stock transaction.
RwandAir placed an order for two 737-800s, the airline and Boeing announced yesterday. The Kigali-based carrier said it is "renewing and expanding its fleet to broaden its network." It currently operates only regional jets. The 737-800s "will enable us to eventually expand to regional hubs across Africa and the Middle East," Chairman John Mirenge said. "They will become the mainstay of our fleet."
Boeing said India's domestic freighter airline Blue Dart Aviation selected its Maintenance Performance Toolbox for its 757-200 freighter fleet. The software-based productivity tool unifies airline maintenance data, streamlining the documentation process.
Boeing yesterday announced that it chose South Carolina as the location for fabrication and assembly of airplane interior parts for the Charleston 787 final assembly line and delivery site. It is still reviewing potential sites for the Boeing Fabrication Interiors South Carolina facility and plans to make a decision by midsummer.
ANA may take another look at whether it should place an A380 order owing to looming competition from airlines that operate the aircraft through Japan, a senior executive said. Hitoshi Kawahara, ANA's director-international and regulatory affairs, said the carrier has become "more interested" in the A380 because rivals such as Singapore Airlines soon may be able to use it to pick up passengers in Japan and carry them to/from the US and other key markets.
