Airbus wants to grow the charter market for its corporate jet line and has gained recent approvals from FAA, European Aviation Safety Agency and General Authority of Civil Aviation of Saudi Arabia for Part 135 operations of its ACJ318 and ACJ319, as well as Civil Aviation Administration of China backing for the ACJ319.

Southwest Airlines is phasing out its Boeing 737 Classic aircraft by about 2017 and is finding ways to use engine inventory from that fleet to decrease its maintenance costs. Mandy Gower, Southwest Airlines’ powerplant supply chain manager, tells Aviation Week that the airline employed MTU Canada and BP Aerospace in Irvine, Calif., to tear down its CFM International CFM56-3s that power the Classics. The airline just took the next step and selected Avioserv San Diego to consign the material.

Airbus is taking a €158 million ($201 million) charge linked to the costs associated with wing component cracking on its A380s and expects more costs to come. The latest charge covers repairs on 71 aircraft already delivered and adds to a €105 million charge taken in March because of the same problem. Moreover, Airbus CFO Harald Wilhelm says additional costs are due this year to cover the expense of repairing about 30 A380s being delivered this year. That could bring the bill to €260 million for 2012, he says.

As first reported by Aviation Week in early April, Republic Airlines has reached a tentative agreement to operate Bombardier Q400 aircraft for United Airlines, picking up the business that is being dropped by Pinnacle Airlines’ Colgan Air subsidiary, although Republic says the accord will not be finalized until it reaches unspecified contracts with aircraft lessors and maintenance providers that are expected to lower the costs of an operation that was a money-loser for Colgan.

Air Lease Corp. (ALC) expects to lease the new Airbus A320NEO and A321NEO aircraft for 12-16% more than the equivalent current-model aircraft, and says the higher rate will improve the company’s margin on those types by least 10%.

A request by maintenance provider Standard Aero to immediately cease its engine support agreement for Pinnacle Airlines’ Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft would be “operationally devastating,” will ground several aircraft and could jeopardize the carrier’s Chapter 11 reorganization, the regional carrier says.

Qantas is once again opting to defer Airbus A380 orders, as the airline continues to cut back investment in its mainline long-haul fleet and focus on its domestic network. The carrier is delaying the two A380s scheduled for delivery next year until 2016-2017. The postponement is expected to reduce capital expenditure to A$1.9 billion (US$1.95 billion) in the fiscal year through June 30, 2013, a reduction of A$400 million.

American Airlines’ three unions are calling on the board of directors of parent company AMR Corp. to support US Airways’ proposed takeover, a process that started when the unions’ leaders jointly approved contract terms with the Tempe, Ariz.-based airline should a takeover be successfully completed.