The Yemenia Yemen Airways A310-300 carrying 153 passengers and crew on its way from Sanaa to Moroni in Comoros that crashed in the Indian Ocean late Monday night specifically was barred from operating to France owing to safety concerns, a senior French official said yesterday, but the airline was not on the EU's list of banned carriers and Yemeni officials insisted the plane was safe to operate.

Bombardier Aerospace announced the conversion of two options for Q400 NextGen turboprops held by Porter Airlines into firm orders, raising to 20 the number of commitments made by the Toronto-based carrier. The two firm orders are worth approximately $45 million, according to the manufacturer.

Lufthansa will phase out its last A300-600 on July 1 following a flight from Rome Fiumicino to Frankfurt as part of the company's effort to cut €300 million ($421.6 million) in costs this year. The type served as the backbone of LH's continental fleet for 22 years. It operated 26 A300s in addition to 24 A310-200s/300s. All the A300-600s have been offered for sale and some already have been purchased.

CASC/Airbus Customer Services training and support center in Beijing is looking to adjust its business model as more airlines acquire their own simulators, MD-Administration and Programs Michelle Pierre Petit told ATWOnline last week. The 18,800-sq.-m. facility, which opened in 1997, includes two A320 and one A330/A340 simulators. "More airlines buying their own simulators means we have to also focus on training the trainers," Petit said. The facility has about 20 airline customers, but there currently are 16 A320 FFSs in China with more to come.

International Aero Engines President and CEO Jon Beatty said the V2500, which had a "slow start" in China because it was not the first engine available for the A320, will gain traction now that it is powering nine of the first 10 aircraft assembled at the new Tianjin FAL. Its first was delivered Tuesday to Sichuan Airlines (ATWOnline, June 24). "I see growing potential here in China," he told ATWOnline. The Chinese government has ordered 600 A320s for delivery in four blocks.