Embraer

TAME Linea Aerea del Ecuador confirmed its order of three Embraer [ERJ] aircraft. It will purchase two Embraer 170s, configured with 76 seats, and one Embraer 190, with 104 seats. The carrier signed a letter of intent last November to purchase the aircraft. The planes will be delivered this year and in 2006.

City Airline is leasing an ERJ 145. Airstream arranged the lease to the Swedish carrier.

In the first quarter, Embraer delivered 30 aircraft, with 28 planes going to airlines. While the company expects to deliver 145 airplanes this year, about 60 percent of the deliveries will be in the second half of the year when it begins filling orders for the Embraer 175s and 190s.

The Brazilian civil aviation authorities have certified the Embraer Customer Training Center in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, with its equivalent to the FAR 142 certification by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Bombardier

Bombardier [BBD] is selling the inventory of its Capital Inventory Finance Division to GE Commercial Finance for $825 million. The payment includes a $225 million pre-tax premium over the current book value of the assets. Bombardier will use the proceeds to reduce corporate debt.

The first Bombardier Global 5000 entered service last week with a corporate operator in the Middle East. As of March, it has delivered nine Global 5000s to vendors who will complete the interiors of these corporate jets.

Air T

The U.S. Air Force and Navy have ordered $5.6 million worth of de-icing units from Air T's Global Ground Support subsidiary. The Air Force is spending $4.3 million to extend an existing contract. The Navy is spending $2.3 million as a follow-up to its first order for the de-icing units, which was completed last August.

AAR

Air Midwest, a unit of Mesa Air Group [MESA], has contracted with AAR [AIR] to provide aviation supply chain services for 24 Beechcraft 1900Ds. AAR's five-year contract includes parts logistics, repair management and scrap replacement at four primary line stations and 10 outlying repair stations.

Saab

JOB air s.r.o. of the Czech Republic, won a competitive evaluation process to provide heavy maintenance services for Saab Aircraft. While Saab will continue to market heavy maintenance and repair services to operators of Saab 340s and Saab 2000s in Europe, JOB will perform the actual work at its facility in Ostrava, Czech Republic. JOB will also create a spares depot at Ostrava. Saab estimates that JOB will handle 20 to 30 heavy maintenance jobs each year worth $1.5 million in new sales for JOB.

Standard Aero

Transport Canada has authorized Standard Aero to perform hot section inspections of the Pratt & Whitney PW100 engine at its Winnipeg, Manitoba, facility. Standard Aero recently moved the North American PW100 Service Center to Winnipeg from Tennessee.

GATX

GATX Air has formed a joint venture with Alster & Thames Partners to provide leased aircraft to clients. GATX will be contributing about $125 million worth of aircraft it has acquired in the secondary market in 2004.

Pemco Aviation

Although sales increased by 5.7 percent to $201.2 million in 2004, Pemco Aviation Group [PAGI] reported a loss of $3 million, or 73 cents per share. A year ago, the company earned $9.9 million, or $2.47 per share, on sales of $190.3 million. Sales were up for the year at its commercial services division, which provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services, by 9.6 percent to $64.8 million. The company posted the overall loss because its costs increased by $28 million for the year.