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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 1506.PDF
REGIONAL AIRLINE ASSOCIATION EXPANSION Mesaba frustrated by Northwest Failure to be allocated any CRJ200s by major forces Airlink regional operator to seek new partner Mesaba Airlines is casting around for another US regional carrier to acquire, to allow it to forge a feeder partnership with a new mainline carrier. The move comes as growth opportunities with its major part ner Northwest Airlines continue to be stymied by the allocation of new Bombardier CRJ200 deliveries to fellow Airlink operator Pinnacle Airlines, formerly Express Airlines I. Northwest has refused to allo cate any of the 129 CRJ200s on order or 75 on options to Mesaba until the carrier has reached a new labour contract with its pilots. Talks have stretched over a year with little development. Pinnacle, meanwhile, has taken delivery of 35 CRJ200s and been allotted an other 48, tying up Airlink deliveries for the next two years. "We can't continue to have our growth strategy held hostage by the pilot negotiations or by Northwest. We have over $100 mil lion in cash and no articulated growth strategy," says Paul Foley, Mesaba chief executive. The airline needs around 50 new regional jets to establish a "critical mass" and will have to look beyond North west to expand. However, Mesaba's ability to fly regional jets in its own right for another carrier is restricted by Northwest's scope clause agree ment with its pilots. "We would need a major partner and the most likely option would be to acquire another airline," adds Foley. The contraction of the mainline Northwest fleet has lowered the scope clause limit on 50-seat regional jets from 54 to 33, forcing Pinnacle to switch to the smaller 44-seat configured CRJ440 earlier than planned. All remaining deliveries from the 83 CRJ200S allocated to Pinnacle will be certificated and configured to the smaller capacity. • BAE Systems Regional Aircraft and Avro RJ operator Mesaba will open a new US maintenance site in Cincinnati this month, which will provide component and accessory maintenance and modifications for BAE's regional aircraft in North America. • Pinnacle Airlines, which North west Airlines plans to float, expects to complete its transition to an all- jet fleet on 13 December when the last of 14 Saab 340s will be retired. The airline expects to take delivery of a further 17 CRJs by the end of the year, expanding its jet fleet to 53 aircraft. As part of the Northwest com mitment to support the public offering, Pinnacle vice president of marketing, Phil Reed, says its major airline partner is "obligated to pro vide 83 CRJs [a mix of CRJ200s and 440sj by April 2004". FLEET DEVELOPMENT ACA keeps door wide open on BAe Jetstream 41s Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA) is delaying retirement of its BAe Jetstream 41s, and is "keeping its options open" following the problems of Fairchild Dornier and the freezing of deliveries of 328JETs. ACA president Tom Moore says: "I don't think Fairchild could deliver an aircraft, even though they're painted, until we reach a new purchase deal." Moore is pessimistic about the hope for any such revision, and adds: "There is no interest in a short term lease." Until now ACA has enjoyed favourable terms as launch operator of the 328JET, but now faces the prospect of operating an orphan fleet. ACA has 33 328JETs and planned to take 10 more by the end of the year, with a final 22 in 2003. It hopes to retire some 10 of its 31 J41s by December. ACA also operates 60 Bombardier CRJs. "We will hold the J41s, but we want to exit turboprops by the end of next year," says Moore. PRODUCTION Embraer goes head to head with Bombardier for last US regional buy Embraer will expand production from 12 to 20 aircraft a month Embraer says it would be able to ramp-up production of the ERJ-145 family from 12 aircraft a month to as many as 20 within six months, as the Brazilian manufacturer pre pares to do battle with Bombardier for the last major US regional jet order from US Airways. Available delivery slots and financing should be key to the US Airways campaign. Both are in short supply, however, in the wake of 11 September, with Embraer hav ing cut back from a peak of 18 a month as banks curtail lease financ ing. Bombardier has expanded pro duction for large orders from United Express and Delta Con nection operators, but is behind with deliveries after last month's strike at its Montreal plants. Prior to September, Embraer raised output to 20 aircraft a month. Aircraft cycle time incr eased from 4.5 to five months fol lowing the production cutbacks, but improved productivity will cut the cycle time to four months by the end of the year, says Embraer chief executive Mauricio Botelho. For every additional aircraft per month, the company needs to add 150-200 production staff, but Emb raer is hesitant to hire new staff for what may be a short peak in output. Included in the production rate is one ERJ-135-based Legacy business aircraft per month, which the com pany wants to increase to two. US Airways has won scope clause relief for another 70 regional jets, operated either by its wholly owned carriers, none of which cur rently have jets, or independent partner operators, such Mesa, Chautauqua and Trans States - all of which fly ERJ-145s. Airlines have indicated they would want deliver ies before the end of the year. Meanwhile, to reduce the build up in the CRJ order backlog, Bomb ardier will deliver almost 230 regional aircraft this year. The com pany is the only manufacturer planning to increase commercial aircraft deliveries this year, having delivered 206 aircraft in 2001 and 157 in 2000. Of the total 2002 quota - an 11% surge on last year - around 200 will be CRJs, and the balance Dash 8 Q series turboprops. 16 21-27 MAY 2002 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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