German regional carrier Cirrus Airlines is expanding into jet operations, with a deal for up to four Embraer RJ-145s.
Saarbrücken-based Cirrus, which operates three Bombardier Dash 8 and Fairchild Dornier 328 turboprops, has placed a firm order for one 50-seat ERJ-145 for delivery in February, plus options on three more. Cirrus declines to specify the routes on which the first regional jet will be deployed, but confirms it will take over services flown by the Dash 8s.
Cirrus operates routes linking Saarbrücken with Dresden, Hamburg and Leipzig, and Berlin with Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Flights from Dresden to Salzburg and Trieste have been dropped because of low passenger demand. The airline, which began operations in 1995, carried 21,000 passengers between last March and December, the latest period for which figures are available.
Source: Flight International
