Mesa Air Group yesterday said it is restructuring the CRJ fleet it operates under contract for United Airlines. Mesa will replace eight 50-seat CRJ200s with two 66-seat CRJ700s, which will be added to its existing contract and will enter service next spring. It then will fly 22 CRJ700s on behalf of UA.

EVA Air sold an MD-11 freighter to Wells Fargo Bank for $55 million, booking a gain of TWD50 million ($1.5 million) on the deal, Dow Jones reported. EVA now operates nine MD-11Fs, but will continue to sell the aircraft as it converts nine 747-400 Combis into freighters, an EVA spokesperson told the news service. Separately, the carrier took delivery of its seventh 316-seat 777-300ER and will operate it on Taipei-Los Angeles service. An eighth -300ER will be serving LAX by year end. EVA flies the route 17-times-weekly.

Etihad Airways will lease two Trent 772B-powered A330-200s from CIT Aerospace, with delivery scheduled in January and March 2009. Etihad CEO James Hogan said the aircraft will have a "major impact" on both its short- and long-haul networks.

Aviation Partners Boeing announced an order for 15 blended winglet shipsets for Delta Air Lines 767-300ERs. DL now plans to install winglets on 30 -300s by early 2010 and holds options on the remainder, APB said.

Aviation Capital Group signed a firm contract with Airbus for six A319s, 15 A320s and four A321s collectively valued at $1.8 billion. The lessor already had 96 A320 family aircraft in its portfolio or on firm order. MD and CEO Stephen Hannahs said the decision to order more was based on "high customer demand." No delivery dates or engine choices for the new orders were announced.