Northwest Airlines plans to establish a separate unit that will fly new, regional jets to smaller cities that it currently serves as soon as 2007, according to a company newsletter.

The grounding of Independence Air, a regional airline turned low-cost carrier, is expected to provide a modest boost to its rivals, especially on the US East Coast, where its discounting has depressed fares.

Indonesia wants to inject funds into state-owned airline Garuda Indonesia and may also sell a stake, Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa said on Thursday.

Australian budget airline Virgin Blue said on Thursday November passenger traffic rose by 8.6 percent on a year ago after slowing capacity growth and introducing a frequent-flyer program.

Boeing's commercial plane orders more than tripled to a record 1,002 for 2005, the US planemaker said on Thursday, signaling that it will probably reclaim the lead from European rival Airbus for the first time since 2001.

Two US airlines are returning 42 regional jets to Canada's export lending agency, which guaranteed the sale of the 50 seat Bombardier aircraft, an agency spokesman said on Thursday.

Bankrupt Northwest Airlines intends to create a new regional feeder airline that will fly 70- to 100-seat jets in medium-sized markets that Northwest says are key to its growth, according to a company newsletter published on Thursday.

CSA Czech Airlines announced that President and Chairman Jaroslav Tvrdik is resigning, subject to formal approval at extraordinary board meetings scheduled Jan. 18.

A Hong Kong startup airline aims to depart from the standard budget carrier model by operating exclusively on long-haul routes.

Central European budget carrier Wizz said it increased 2005 passenger traffic by 233 percent to 1.89 million and ended the year with a modest profit.