United Technologies Corp. (UTC) expects commercial aircraft engine spares orders to rebound following recent declines at its Pratt & Whitney and Hamilton Sundstrand units.

Fairbanks, Alaska-based Everts Air Cargo is one of the first two customers for the MD-80 family passenger-to-freighter conversions performed by Aeronautical Engineers (AEI), the Miami, Fla.-based aircraft conversion company says. The other launch company also is U.S.-based, but AEI is not yet disclosing its identity. AEI has an order book for 15 of the converted aircraft in the first year of production, which is expected to begin before the year’s end, Convey says.

With the wing of the Airbus A350 already under close scrutiny before the first flying example has been put together, key suppliers are focusing more than ever on a steady production ramp-up and delivering to specification.

The FAA has proposed costly replacements of engine air intake cowl components for certain Boeing 757 operators, giving some as little as 12 months to perform the swaps. A notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published Friday orders replacement engine air intake cowl forward bulkhead assemblies, thermal anti-ice spray ring assemblies, and attachment fittings on Rolls-Royce-powered 757s. Estimated costs are $180,000 per affected engine, the agency says.

EADS’s Malaysian MRO Sepang Aircraft Engineering is hoping to secure Lao Airlines as a customer for heavy maintenance checks.

When turnaround specialist Robert S. “Steve” Miller was appointed CEO of Hawker Beechcraft in February, he waved off rumors that the struggling manufacturer of business jets, turboprops and military trainers would be sold to a Chinese entity. “There is no plan in my kit bag here to sell this company or any of its pieces,” he told Aviation Week. Three months later, Hawker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The cutthroat competition in the Australian long-haul market is just as prevalent in the regulatory arena, as several airlines are proving with their vociferous opposition to a partnership proposed by Qantas and Emirates. While it would be a major surprise if permission were not granted by Australian regulators, the heated debate underlines how high the stakes are—not only for Qantas and Emirates, but for all of the international carriers serving this region.

United Airlines today will break ground on its first widebody aircraft maintenance hangar at the Washington Dulles International Airport hub. The airline, which is investing almost $45 million in the 125,000-sq.-ft. facility, expects construction to take a year. When opened, the hangar will enable United to perform maintenance simultaneously on two widebodies. United employs some 300 technical operations workers at Dulles.