MARY KIRBY / WASHINGTON DC
US regional carrier SkyWest Airlines has placed a firm order for 30 Bombardier CRJ700s and options on a further 80 aircraft. Deliveries of the 70-seat regional jets on firm order are scheduled to begin early next year and continue until 2005.
The aircraft will be used for the airline's United Express operations. It comes after SkyWest recently firmed up a new expanded feeder agreement with United Airlines.
SkyWest already operates 100 of the smaller 50-seat CRJ100/200s.
The airline intends to fly its newly ordered CRJ700s on United Express routes from Denver, and potentially begin feeding Chicago for the US major.
Company vice president finance and assistant treasurer Michael Kraupp says United "is still trying to determine" where to place the 30 CRJ700s in its system, but that Chicago seems a likely base for some of the aircraft.
"What we are saying is we are still subject to United's desires and wishes, but that Chicago would seem like a good opportunity considering that [United Express carrier] Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA) is winding down their codeshare with United," says Kraupp.
ACA, which does some United Express flying out of Chicago, has not yet reached a new feeder agreement with United. As a result, ACA has stopped taking delivery of the CRJ200s it has on order and is instead now planning to start its own low-fare carrier from its Washington Dulles base.
Source: Flight International
