• GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) has entered into a joint venture with Lynxs Holdings to develop air cargo facilities

• easyJet has opened its 17th base, at Madrid Barajas Airport, which will be home to four of the airline’s new Airbus A319 airliners

• Madrid Barajas is also home to SR Technics’ first operations in mainland Spain – a new line maintenance station

• BMI is urging the U.K. government to end the monopoly ownership by BAA of the U.K.’s major airports

• Lufthansa Cargo has established Handling Counts GmbH, a subsidiary that will provide freight handling services

• Icelandair has picked SAS Ground Services to furnish its passenger services at Charles de Gaulle Airport

• Fourteen German air cargo handling agents have teamed up to establish an association called Verband der Aircargo Abfertiger Deutschlands

• Eurocontrol and German ANSP DFS have engaged the Sofreavia/SITA consortium to supply next-generation data link gateway systems