Frontier Airlines has confirmed its deal for up to 36 Airbus narrowbodies, announced in October (Flight International, 27 October - 2 November). The Denver-based low-cost carrier has placed a firm order for five 114-seat, Pratt & Whitney PW6000-powered A318s and six 132-seat, CFM International CFM56-5-powered A319s. Options have been taken on another nine aircraft. A further 15 A319s will be leased from GE Capital Aviation Services and one A318 from International Lease Finance (ILFC). Deliveries will begin in June 2001. Raytheon Aircraft has leased a used Beech 1900C to Air Sydney for passenger and freight service between Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra. Japanese carrier Air Do (Hokkaido International Airlines) has taken delivery of a second General Electric CF6-80C2- powered 767-300ER on lease from Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services (AWAS). Widerøe's Flyveselskap is seeking buyers for two of its 18 Bombardier Dash 8-100s, and has appointed Airstream International Group to re-market the aircraft. Egyptair has ordered two more A318s, bringing its firm contract to five aircraft. Egyptair, an A318 launch customer, will introduce its PW6000-powered twinjets in early 2003 on domestic services from Cairo. CityBird has taken delivery of a second new Pratt & Whitney PW4000-powered Boeing 767-300ER on lease from AWAS. Flight International's sister on-line service Air Transport Intelligence reports that US regional Commutair has concluded a deal with Raytheon to trade-in 26 Beech 1900Ds in exchange for a similar number of new examples. Deliveries of the aircraft, which will be used on US Airways Express flights, will begin later this month. Sabre Airways is to increase its Boeing 737-800 fleet from two to four aircraft for this year's summer season with the lease of two examples from Tombo Aviation. An additional 737-800 will be leased from ILFC next March.
Source: Flight International
