Ethiopian Airlines took delivery of the first of eight 78-seat Q400s. It placed the order in late 2008 (ATWOnline, Nov. 21).

Lufthansa Systems signed a five-year contract with Bulgaria Air to provide its Lido RouteManual navigation charts. Contract includes an option to migrate to Lido eRouteManual.

Shenyang Aircraft Corp., an AVIC subsidiary, yesterday began construction on the 21,000-sq.-m. facility in which the CSeries fuselage will be built. SAC delivered the first test fuselage barrel last August to Bombardier's Saint-Laurent site. It is being used to demonstrate manufacturing and engineering structural concepts in advance of the aircraft's final design phase, which is scheduled to begin before year end. It has been subjected to 40,000 simulated flight cycles of testing, Bombardier said

Jet Airways will dry-lease three 777-300ERs to Thai Airways for three years each (ATWOnline, March 19). Jet also has four -300ERs on lease to Turkish Airlines. Skyworld Aviation said it is assisting in the marketing of six Q400s being sold by Republic Airways Holdings. Aircraft were operated by Frontier Airlines subsidiary Lynx Aviation, which will be dissolved by Republic in September (ATWOnline, Feb. 5).

AerCap Holdings and Genesis Lease announced completion of their $1.76 billion merger yesterday. Genesis shareholders will receive one AerCap ordinary share for each Genesis share. AerCap said it now is the world's largest independent aircraft leasing company with assets of some $8 billion and a portfolio of 345 commercial aircraft and 92 engines. AerCap CEO Klaus Heinemann and CFO Keith Helming will lead the enlarged company, in which Genesis shareholders now own approximately 29% (ATWOnline, Sept. 21, 2009).