SAS said the grounding of its fleet of 27 Q400s will begin to be lifted on Oct. 4 when its first aircraft of the type returns to service, with the remaining Q400s returning to operations during the following days.

Finnair selected GE CF6-80E1s to power seven A330-300s. The engines will be the first to incorporate the new HPT upgrade that is part of the Tech CF6 program. Engine delivery will begin in March 2009. GE valued the deal at more than $140 million.

Air New Zealand, Boeing and Rolls-Royce signed an MOU to conduct jointly what they claimed will be the first trial of a commercial 747 operated with biofuel. The test flight will take place in late 2008 or early 2009 using an ANZ 747-400. The aircraft will not carry passengers and only one engine will run on the blended biofuel/kerosene mix. While the flight may use biofuel sourced from around the globe, ANZ CEO Rob Fyfe told media that the airline is "keen to encourage research into alternative fuels in New Zealand."

SAS said it is not yet able to estimate the potential total financial damage from the grounding of its 27 Q400s, now in its 17th day. The carrier has said it is losing about SEK10-SEK15 million ($1.5-$2.3 million) daily (ATWOnline, Sept. 26). A spokesperson told ATWOnline that SAS is wet-leasing several aircraft from other companies to allow it to operate an "emergency" schedule. "The number of aircraft we lease varies every day," the spokesperson explained.

Making one of the most anticipated long-haul aircraft order announcements in recent years, British Airways yesterday said it will purchase 12 A380s and 24 787s and place options for a further seven A380s and 18 787s.