Thai domestic start-up Air Andaman plans to expand its network with the arrival of its second British Aerospace J31 turboprop in April. The airline is to expand to a five-aircraft Jetstream fleet within three years. British Airways franchise airline GB Airways has placed orders for one Airbus A320 and one A321. The International Aero Engines V2500-powered aircraft will be delivered in 2003. Qatar Airways has acquired an 11-year-old, ex-Korean Air Airbus A300-600R equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines. The deal boosts its A300-600R fleet to six aircraft. Ecuadorian airline TAME has ordered two Raisbeck Stage 3 modification kits and taken options on three more, for its fleet of Boeing 727-200Advs, in a contract worth over $6 million. Under a Stage 3 phase-in agreement reached with the Ecuador Government, TAME will modify two aircraft in 2001, two in 2002 and the fifth in 2003. JetBlue has added an order for one IAE V2500-powered A320, for delivery later this year. Air Nostrum has taken delivery of the first of 29 Bombardier Dash 8 Q300s it has on order. Miami Air International has signed a lease agreement with CIT Aerospace for two new Boeing 737-800s which will be delivered in April and May. Australian Air Express has signed a lease extension deal with BAE Systems on three BAe 146QT freighters - one Series 100 and two Series 300s. Asiana Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 777-200ER, on lease from International Lease Finance (ILFC). The Pratt & Whitney PW4090-powered aircraft is one of eight 777-200ERs that the airline is due to receive, three of which will come through ILFC. One 777-300 order is also held. United Airlines retired its last McDonnell Douglas DC-10 this month after 30 years of operating the type. The last flight was operated between Honolulu and Chicago and the aircraft will follow the airline's other DC-10s by joining FedEx as a freighter.
Source: Flight International
