Shanghai Airlines has concluded a 10-year lease deal with International Lease Finance (ILFC) for four Boeing 737-800s. The aircraft will be delivered between September 2001 and September 2002. Southern Air is expanding its Boeing 747-200 freighter fleet with the acquisition of two more ex-Lufthansa, General Electric CF6-powered examples in mid-2000. Air France has ordered one additional CFM International CFM56-powered A320 and an A321, for delivery in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Crossair has received the first of its initial batch of 15 49-seat Embraer RJ-145s, as it phases out its remaining 33-seat Saab 340 turboprops. TACA has ordered four International Aero Engines V2500-powered Airbus A320s, for delivery in 2001. Raytheon Aircraft has leased a used Beech 1900C to Jakarta-based Mapindo Parama for passenger, cargo and medical evacuation use in Indonesia. The manufacturer has sold a used 13-seat Beech 1300 to BarXH Air, an Air Canada affiliate, for passenger services throughout Alberta. Boeing received orders for eight aircraft in February from undisclosed customers - two 737-700s, one -800 and five 747-400s. Flight International's sister on-line news service Air Transport Intelligence reports that Shenyang-based China Northern Airlines has signed with Airbus Industrie for the acquisition of ten A321s, which are the final batch of a package of 30 A320 family aircraft that was ordered by China in 1997. American Airlines will retire its eight remaining McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10/30s by the end of this year. The airline's 68 hushkitted Boeing 727s will be retired by the end of 2003, although the airline warns that this schedule could be accelerated if fuel prices continue to increase. LanChile has firmed up options for five additional V2500-powered A320s, bringing its orders for the Airbus type to 25.
Source: Flight International
