AEROSPACE

Czech Airline Signs $350-Million Boeing Contract: CSA, the state-controlled Czech airline, has agreed to buy 10 Boeing jets to replace outdated Russian models. CSA said it chose Boeing after talking to Airbus Industrie, British Aerospace’s small-jet division Avro and Fokker, which is now bankrupt. Similar negotiations are taking place across Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union as airlines try to replace Soviet-designed aircraft with more modern Western jets both to upgrade fleets and alleviate passenger concerns. In December, the Polish airline LOT said it sold the last of its Soviet-made aircraft and is now using only Boeings and French-built ATR-72s. The new planes will allow CSA to improve its fleet and expand services, the airline said.