GE Aviation expects to have the first CF34-10A with 18,000 lb. of thrust to power the ARJ21 ready for testing in the fourth quarter. First flight of the aircraft, produced by China's AVIC I Commercial Aircraft Co., is expected next year. To date there are 71 orders for the jet (ATWOnline, April 19). GE expects to deliver about 500 CF34s this year, according to program GM Chuck Nugent.

Royal Jordanian officially is the 787's first Middle East customer, Boeing revealed this weekend, announcing that the carrier is the source of an order for two previously unidentified aircraft. RJ also took two options and said it intends to lease a further eight 787s. It announced its commitment to the Dreamliner in December when it selected it to replace its A340s (ATWOnline, Dec. 21, 2006). At the time, it said it intended to start with 4-5 787s.

Final assembly of the first 787 began yesterday in Everett, Boeing announced, with rollout scheduled for July 8. Eventually, the company intends to assemble one aircraft every three days. "The 787 production system is the culmination of the lessons we've learned building previous airplanes," 787 VP-Manufacturing and Quality Steve Westby said. "Using composites on the 787 airframe has a number of manufacturing advantages.

Boeing took delivery of the final section of the first 787 Wednesday in Everett, Wash. The piece, the center fuselage including the center wing box, was assembled and delivered by Global Aeronautica in South Carolina via the Dreamlifter freighter. The forward and rear fuselage sections were delivered earlier in the week (ATWOnline, May 14), along with the aircraft's wings, which were manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagoya.

Rockwell Collins announced that Air China selected its MultiScan Hazard Detection System along with a "broad range of avionics" including the GLU-925 Multi-Mode Receiver, for 25 737NGs and 24 A320s/A321s. Deliveries are expected to begin in the fall.