Emirates President Tim Clark denied rumors that the airline may cancel some of its A380 orders. Speaking to ATWOnline in Sydney, Clark said Emirates wants the aircraft as soon as possible: "Certainly the delay is a serious setback to our growth plans but we want the aircraft."

NavAero said its tBagC22 received an STC as a Class 2 Electronic Flight Bag on A320 family aircraft. The EFB will be deployed first by Virgin America. NavAero also received an STC for its Class 2 EFB for MD-10/-11 series aircraft. Although it did not disclose the name of the launch customer, it is believed to be FedEx.

Swiss International Air Lines will lease two A340-300s from Austrian Airlines. Including a previously announced lease of two A330-200s from Lufthansa, Swiss will increase its long-haul fleet to 11 A330-200s and 11 A340-300s in the next several months.

Virgin America unveiled its first aircraft, an A320 named Jefferson Airplane, yesterday in San Francisco in a ceremony attended by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The startup, which has leased 34 A320s, still has not received a go-ahead from US authorities while potential US competitors challenge its citizenship, claiming that real control rests with Richard Branson's Virgin Group, not US investors. The unveiling indicated the carrier is "ready, willing and able to fly," CEO Fred Reid told reporters in attendance. DOT is expected to issue a ruling in January.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes is on a pace to exceed its record sales result of last year, when it booked net orders for 1,002 aircraft (ATWOnline, Jan. 5). Through the first nine months of 2006, the manufacturer received orders for 736 aircraft, up from 643 in the year-ago period. September sales were particularly strong, with orders for 175 aircraft comprising 118 737NGs, 28 747s, four 767s and 25 787s. In September 2005, Boeing sold 24 aircraft comprising two 737s, 15 777s and seven 787s.