Aerolineas Argentinas is taking delivery of the second of seven Boeing 737-500s this month. Remaining aircraft will arrive in July, September, October (two) and November. The carrier said it also will take an Airbus A310 and A340 next month, a second A310 in August and a second A340 “later this year.” Jun 18, 2007

Neither Air France nor KLM have placed orders for the Boeing 787, but insiders told this website that the Dutch carrier is interested as it looks toward replacing its MD-11s. The group also is analyzing the possibility of adding MRO capability for the 747-8. “Again, many of KLM E&M customers committed to the 747-8, so it’s almost unavoidable not to extend our range with this aircraft type,” he said. Regarding acquisitions, Somers said, “Yes, it is part of our growth strategy. We want to be a major player in the MRO scene, worldwide. Also, there is a customer demand for proximity and for low-cost solutions.” An announcement regarding an acquisition is expected in the “near future,” he revealed, and “indeed, you can assume it will not be in Europe.” AFI and KLM E&M reported turnover of [euro]2.86 billion ($3.84 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, up 6.6% from the prior year. Work for third-party customers contributed 34% of the total. Jun 21, 2007

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AirAsia, originally established in 2001, currently has 34 Boeing 737-300 and 20 Airbus A320s. A total of 130 Airbus A320 series aircraft have been ordered, some as replacements for the Boeing fleet. The airline has long-haul ambitions and has placed a firm order for ten Airbus A330-300 aircraft, with options for a further five. AirAsia executive vice-president - commercial, Kathleen Tan, said: “As the biggest low cost airline in Asia, the penetration to Shenzhen means a lot us. It is also noteworthy that Shenzhen is the 4th busiest airport in China and this will allow us to tap into passenger traffic and facilitate travellers to other ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] destinations that we fly to. We are very confident that this route will open more opportunities to enhance both of our hubs with greater international links in the region, especially with Shenzhen being the gateway to Southern China and Hong Kong.” Jun 19, 2007

So far, Boeing is five years ahead of Airbus in terms of development and dominates sales in the segment with nearly 600 orders. But Boeing’s initial success in selling the 787, it is sold out until 2013, has restored the balance between the two planemakers for potential customers prepared to wait until the A350 enters service from that year. Airbus is resisting pressure from at least one of its customers, major aircraft leasing firm ILFC, to change the way it builds fuselages after Boeing opted for new technology allowing it to build the tube out of composite barrels, reducing parts. The European planemaker says it will build the A350 out of similar lightweight composite materials but keep them shaped in traditional panels riveted to an aluminum and titanium frame. Jun 18, 2007

Boeing had a quieter time in Paris, with only 66 new firm orders announced, and a similar number of existing orders identified. The air show tally plus a few other recent deals would put Boeing around the 500 mark for firm orders so far this year — a hundred or so behind Airbus. Boeing wrested back the title of biggest-selling plane maker from Airbus last year for the first time since 2000, with a record 1,044 firm orders against 790 for Airbus. Jun 22, 2007