Completion of terminal construction at Dallas Love Field and finalisation of the US Federal Aviation Administration's Part 121 operating certificate process is expected to allow Legend Airlines to initiate services from the Texas airport in September.
Plans to begin interstate business-class operations using 56-seat McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s may be delayed, however, if local courts continue their battle to prevent Legend's start. T Allan McArtor, Legend's president and chief executive, says the legal issues may have to be settled in a federal court. "The US Department of Transportation [DoT] needs the guts to take firm action. It must interpret and enforce interstate commerce laws."
Legend says Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and American Airlines are using lawsuits to force sweeping local controls over aviation matters reserved for federal aviation authorities. Interstate services from Love Field involving aircraft with more than 56 seats are banned to all but seven states under federal law. But American and Dallas Fort Worth International claim that any interstate service from Love Field violates a deal between the city of Dallas and Fort Worth. Legend is claiming federal law takes precedence over the local covenant.
McArtor says the fleet will build to six DC-9s "fairly quickly", with an average of one aircraft acquired "every couple of months" after that. Dalfort Aviation will provide heavy maintenance services.
Source: Flight International
