Aerolineas Argentinas signed a purchase agreement for 12 737-700s, Argentine Planning Minister Julio De Vido told reporters, according to Reuters. He said the aircraft will begin arriving in April. Boeing did not confirm the report. Separately, AR's Austral subsidiary took delivery of the second of three MD-88s. It said it acquired the 160-seat aircraft from a Mexican source.

Bombardier Aerospace took 114 commercial aircraft orders net of cancellations in its fiscal year ended Jan. 31, down 45.8% from the 238 booked in 2007-08. The 114 commitments comprised 47 CRJs and 67 Q400s. It delivered 110 aircraft during the recently concluded fiscal year (56 CRJs and 54 Q400s), down from 128 the prior year. The Canadian manufacturer said 2009-10 commercial deliveries will rise some 10% year-over-year. It will increase its Q400 production rate, while CRJ rates will remain unchanged.

Airbus revealed Friday that it had 12 order cancellations in January while booking just four orders, and ILFC Chairman and CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy projected that both Airbus and Boeing will cut production over the next two years by as much as 30%-35%. Airbus currently plans to produce close to 500 aircraft this year, while Boeing's target is 480-485 units. Turkish Airlines ordered four A321s in January, but Airbus reported cancellations during the month for three A318s, two A319s, three A320s and four A321s.

Boeing now is making progress in its effort to get the 787 program back on track and into the air, with the second flight test aircraft, destined for ANA, due to have its fastener rework completed over the weekend.

Kingfisher Airlines deferred delivery of its five A380s by two years to 2014 because it wants to wait for the higher-MTOW A380-900 that can fly nonstop to the US, a spokesperson from Kingfisher parent UB Group told Dow Jones. The airline already has deferred delivery of 32 of 48 A320s it was scheduled to take in late 2008 and 2009.