Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group announced Tuesday the addition of 20 new Embraer E175 LL aircraft and a five year contract extension on 42 United-owned E175s. The carrier’s 20 CRJ-700s will be leased to another United Express operator.
Today, the Mesa Air Group announced the addition of 12 new Embraer E175 LL aircraft which will be owned and financed by Mesa under a 12-year capacity purchase agreement. The Phoenix Arizona based regional contract carrier also announced a five year extension for 42 United Airlines owned E175s. The United-owned aircraft will now operate with Mesa Air through 2024 with extension rights to 2027, while the 18 Mesa owned E175s remain contracted through 2028. Additionally, Mesa announced they would be leasing 20 of their CRJ-700s to another United Express carrier, with the goal of eventually operating an all Embraer E175 fleet. In Tuesday’s announcement, Mesa Air Group’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Ornstein said,
“We are pleased to increase the number of Embraer aircraft operating under our partnership with United to 80, making Mesa the largest E175 operator under the United Express banner. We are delighted that United has chosen to make us its fastest growing and largest operator of its premier regional jet. We would like to thank all of our hard working and dedicated people for making Mesa United’s airline of choice for regional growth.”
Delivery of Mesa’s new E175s will begin in May 2020 and conclude by the end of next year, resulting in an average fleet aircraft age of 3.7 years. The new United Express E175 LLs will be arranged in a three class configuration, accommodating 70 passengers. Mesa Airlines offers scheduled service to 147 cities in 47 states, Washington DC, Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas, averaging 749 daily departures. The regional airline currently operates a fleet of 145 aircraft and has around 3,400 employees. In addition to United Express, the airline also operates under contract with American Airlines as American Eagle.
Source: Mesa Air Group