Aircraft & Engines

Boeing rolled out its first factory-complete Next-Generation 737 at the production rate of 35 airplanes a month on Dec. 4. The new 737-800 was towed to nearby Renton Field where Boeing conducts functional testing and first flights for all new airplanes. Though the airplane still must undergo testing and painting, the milestone represents a major […]

Pratt & Whitney has surpassed the milestone of receiving orders, including options, for more than 2,000 PurePower Geared Turbofan engines while completing more than 1,250 hours and 2,800 cycles of full engine testing for its first two applications. So far this year Pratt & Whitney’s order book for the PurePower Geared Turbofan has commitments from

Transaero Airlines, Russia’s second largest airline, has signed a firm order for eight A320neo aircraft following a Memorandum of Understanding signed in August at the International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS-2011 in Moscow. Transaero Airlines is planning to operate the aircraft on its extended medium-haul network of domestic and international routes as part of its

Kalitta Air announced that it closed a purchase agreement for a new Boeing 747-400ERF aircraft in order to continue and expand its international cargo operations. Wells Fargo Bank Northwest, NA served as owner trustee and seller. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The aircraft, which had not previously been flown in revenue, marked

Rolls-Royce has won a $350m contract from Hawaiian Airlines to deliver Trent 700 engines to power five Airbus A330 aircraft.  The order includes TotalCare long-term services support. The aircraft, to be delivered from 2013 to 2015, will add to the airline’s current fleet of five Trent 700-powered A330s and another 12 to be delivered.

Finnair plans to reduce the size of its narrow body fleet by four aircraft in autumn 2012 as part of its earlier announced savings program of €140m. The reduction will bring significant savings and will be implemented by optimizing the airline’s flight schedules and network.  Finnair expects to realize a significant boost in narrow body aircraft utilization

GE Capital Aviation Services will lease two new Airbus A330-300 aircraft to China Airlines to further expand their fleet. The aircraft come from GECAS’ existing order book with Airbus. Delivery of the first aircraft is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2013.

Doric Asset Finance took delivery of its 11th A380. The aircraft with the manufacturer’s serial number (MSN) 083 was acquired by the German closed-end fund SKY CLOUD III. The Airbus A380 is on lease to Dubai-based carrier Emirates for a period of 12 years. The purchase price of the aircraft was $234m. The long-term loan of up to

Porter Airlines accepted two new Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft, bringing the company’s fleet to 26.  Porter, one of the largest operators of Q400 aircraft, placed the $61m order for the two aircraft in March 2011. Porter has four outstanding options for Q400 NextGen aircraft, which it anticipates exercising within two years.