AirBaltic will undergo the largest fleet expansion in its history owing to parent SAS Group's contract with Bombardier announced Monday (ATWOnline, March 11). The carrier will take delivery of at least eight Q400 NextGen aircraft starting next year and will hold options for four more. New aircraft will replace F50s. AirBaltic also plans to add two 757-200s and three 737-300s this year.

SAS Group said it will receive "slightly more" than SEK1 billion ($163.3 million) in cash and credit toward new aircraft purchases in settlement with Bombardier and Goodrich over the Q400 landing gear incidents that led the airline to retire its 27 Q400s last fall. As part of the settlement, SAS ordered 13 firm CRJ900 NextGens worth $474 million and 14 Q400 NexGens worth $356 million. It optioned a further 17 CRJ900s and seven Q400s. Delivery of the firm aircraft begins this fall and continues through 2011.

Emirates is expending significant effort to enter its first A380 into service earlier than the Oct. 1 target date, when it intends to operate Dubai-New York JFK with its first delivery (ATWOnline, March 4). It expects to take the first aircraft in August, "but we will try to get it earlier, by midsummer, and start scheduled services ahead of October," an EK spokesperson told ATWOnline in Berlin. It is possible the first destination may change from JFK as well.

Rumors of further delays to the first flight of the 787 gained momentum Friday as Goldman Sachs indicated the world may have to wait at least an additional three months. In a client note, GS analyst Richard Safran said, "Our sources indicate 787 power-on, scheduled for March end, may be delayed until the end of June. First flight, expected three months after power-on, may be further delayed. We now think deliveries will start in the third quarter of 2009 versus the current 'early '09' target."

Avionica said Continental Airlines secured its ACARS communications in passenger service over the Iridium satellite network. One of CO's satLINK-equipped 737-800s reached its Houston headquarters as it flew over the Pacific. The carrier also plans to install satLINK on 757-200s.