• Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services (AWAS) has taken delivery of the first of five Next Generation 737-700s it has on order, which has been placed with an undisclosed customer in Asia. AWAS is understood recently to have cancelled at least three of its Next Generation 737 orders.
• TWA is arranging to sell and lease back four Boeing 767-200s.
• Virgin Express is taking two Boeing 737-400s on five-year lease from Braathens.
• Piedmont Airlines, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of US Airways, has concluded a deal for nine de Havilland Dash 8-Q200s, which will boost its fleet to 93 aircraft.
• Dragonair is to introduce its first two Airbus Industrie A321s in May and June. The two International Aero Engines V2500-powered aircraft will be leased from International Lease Finance (ILFC), for operation alongside its A320s and A330s.
• Air Malta is leasing two Boeing 737-400s from Malaysia Airlines for the 1999 summer season.
• Asiana has cancelled orders for 12 General Electric-powered Boeing aircraft, including two 747-400Fs, four 777-200s and six 777-300s. The South Korean airline's orderbook now stands at 30 aircraft, including six 747-400s, four 767-300ERs, four 777-200ERs, and 16 Airbuses - 10 A321s and six A330s.
• Air Djibouti has returned its ex-Kuwait Airways, Pratt & Whitney JT9D-powered Airbus A310-200 to Airbus Asset Management.
• Aircraft Leasing & Management has sold two ex-Qatar Airways, GE CF6-powered Boeing 747SRs to AAR Aircraft and Engine Group.
• Balkan Bulgarian Airlines is introducing two Pratt & Whitney JT9D-powered, ex-Swissair A310-300s on lease from ILFC, to replace two Boeing 767-200ERs which are being returned to Air France.
• Aero Continente of Peru is leasing two Lockheed L-1011 TriStars, a -1 and a -100, from Jet Aircraft Leasing for services to Miami, Florida.
Source: Flight International
