Cypriot start-up Helios Airways has taken delivery of its first aircraft, an ex-Futura Boeing 737-400 leased from GE Capital Aviation Services, and launched operations with a charter flight from London Gatwick to Larnaca. Volga-Dnepr Airlines has taken delivery of a new Antonov An-124-100 after completion by Aviastar in Ulyanovsk. Construction of the An-124, which is Volga's tenth aircraft, was financed through a credit line extended by the Russian state savings bank Sberbank and the airline's own resources. British Airways franchise partner GB Airways has received its first Airbus A320, an International Aero Engines V2500-powered example leased from Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise. Meanwhile, BA's Heathrow-based Mainline division has received its first A319. Frontier Airlines has taken delivery of an ex-Air Europa Boeing737-300 on a 32 month lease from International Lease Finance.
Source: Flight International
