Cathay Pacific has signed a short-term, wet-lease agreement with Atlas Air for a single Boeing 747 freighter. The deal is the airline's first with the US freight leasing specialist. Denver-based Frontier Airlines has leased two ex-Winnair 737-200 Adv for 51 months and an ex-TACA Boeing 737-300, all from Swedish lessor Indigo Aviation. The aircraft are being delivered during July to replace three of its five 737-200 non-Advs. The other two -200s will be replaced later this year by two 737-200Advs leased from Triton Aviation. A second 737-300 will be leased from Indigo in October. Indigo has concluded deals worth $47 million for the purchase of two 737s, a nine-year-old 737-300 (the TACA aircraft leased to Frontier) and a seven-year-old ex-Hapag-Lloyd machine which has been placed on five-year lease with Italy's Blue Panorama. GB Airways has firmed up its commitment for two IAE V2500-powered A320s. The aircraft are due for delivery in 2001 and are believed to be the first of up to 14 A320s the British Airways franchise will acquire to replace its Boeing 737-300/400s. European Aviation has taken delivery of the first of 12 Boeing 737-200Advs it is acquiring from Sabena. The aircraft will be put into service on lease to Palmair FlightLine in September. All 12 aircraft are equipped with Stage 3 hushkits and four aircraft are being offered for sale. European has also taken delivery of the first of two Boeing 747-100s that it has purchased from British Airways. The aircraft is stored in France. The second 747 will be delivered later this year. Air France has placed orders for two additional General Electric GE90-powered 777-200ERs, for delivery in late 2000. The deal takes its orders for the type to 12. Further to last week's report, the sale by Flying Enterprise of its Shorts 330 was the last of the type in scheduled operations on passenger services. The deal was arranged by UK-based Isis Aviation Services.
Source: Flight International
