Colgan Air is looking to add 19- to 35-seat turboprops to its fleet and expand its recently inaugurated US Airways Express regional network. The move by the Manassas, Virginia-based carrier bucks the growing move by regional carriers away from turboprops towards larger jets.
The airline has leased three ex-Mesaba 340Bs from Saab Aircraft Leasing for five years and has taken options on another three to expand US Airways Express' East Coast services. "We'll think about exercising these in the near future as we keep adding capacity," says Colgan Air president Mike Colgan.
Colgan's new 34-seat turboprops will supplement its seven Raytheon Beech 1900C/Ds, which have also been put into US Airways Express operations. "We still want to keep the 19-seaters as we see opportunities as other operators pull out. We're interested in expanding this," adds Colgan.
The former independent carrier joined the US Airways Express network in December after dropping an earlier affiliation with Continental Airlines. The airline wanted to expand into airports hubs, but services to all three of Continental's main gateways, Cleveland, Houston and New York Newark, were dominated by its subsidiary, Continental Express.
Colgan is flying 340s twice daily between New York La Guardia and Charlottesville, Virginia, while former rival and US Air-owned Piedmont will discontinue its de Havilland Dash 8 service.
Source: Flight International
