US regional carrier Comair could see as many as 77 more Bombardier regional jets, including its entire CRJ700 fleet, culled from its feeder deal with parent Delta Air Lines should its bid to secure a portion of its current flying fail.
Delta last week issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the operation of 143 regional jets, including up to 43 70-seaters and up to 50 50-seat jets already operated by Delta Connection carriers Comair, Mesa Air Group's Freedom Airlines unit, and Republic Airways' Chautauqua Airlines and Shuttle America subsidiaries.
The RFP represents a portion of the Delta Connection network that has not been affirmed in the bankrupt major's Chapter 11 proceedings. Delta is also soliciting bids for the operation of up to 50 76-seat aircraft that the carrier can add to the Connection fleet "to meet the changing demands of the network". Comair says its 27 owned CRJ700s - representing its entire fleet of 70-seat regional jets - are included in Delta's RFP. The regional also says that at least some, and as many as 50, of its 50-seat fleet could also be affected. This is in addition to the 30 50-seat regional jets in the process of being cut as part of a prior move by Delta in bankruptcy.
At the end of last month Comair operated 168 regional jets on behalf of Delta, and says it intends to bid on the RFP to both retain its current flying levels, and add 76-seat operations.
This article was writen prior to the accident on 27 August 2006 of a Comair Bombardier CRJ-100 in Lexington, Kentucky in which 49 people died.
Source: Flight International
