Khalifa Airways has taken delivery of the first of three new ATR 72-500s it has on order. The Algerian carrier has already received three of four second-hand ATR 42-320s it is acquiring. Biman Bangladesh Airlines is wet leasing a Boeing 747-300 from Corsair, France, in a deal arranged by Airstream International Group. Biman has also leased an additional McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30ER from Pegasus Aviation for delivery this month. The aircraft will be used for the Bangladesh Hajj operation this year. An ex-Air Jamaica Airbus A310-300 has also been leased from Airbus. Air Canada has boosted its recent commitment for additional Airbus A320 family aircraft (Flight International 17-23 October) with a deal with GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) to purchase five CFM International CFM56-powered A319s. The airline is also boosting its Boeing 767-300ER fleet with a deal for four on 13-year leases from GECAS. Deliveries will begin in May. Air Canada will also take six A319s and three A320s on lease from International Lease Finance, with deliveries beginning next August. Air Gulf Falcon is acquiring two ex-Korean Air Boeing 747-200Fs from Boeing Capital by the year-end. GECAS has confirmed its Farnborough 2000 order for 30 CFM56-powered Airbus A318s for delivery from early 2004. The deal includes four A319s six A320s and two A321s for delivery from mid-2003. Canada 3000 Airlines has increased its planned fleet of leased CFM56-powered A319s from five to nine aircraft: four are from CIT Aerospace, four from Boullioun Aviation Services and one from San Francisco-based GATX Capital. Deliveries of the 142-seaters will take place over 30 months from next October. Air Jamaica plans to boost its Airbus A320/A321 fleet by up to12 aircraft over the next five years, reports Flight International's sister on-line service Air Transport Intelligence.
Source: Flight International
