US Airways is leasing 11 secondhand Bombardier de Havilland Dash 8-100 turboprops from the manufacturer as part of a move to expand two regional carriers owned by the Group.
The 11 ex-Mesaba aircraft will be divided between Allegheny Airlines, which feeds US Airways at Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Washington National, and Piedmont Airlines, which operates from Charlotte, Orlando, Tampa and Washington National.
Allegheny already operates 34 Dash 8s, while Piedmont flies 52 of the type. Minneapolis-based Northwest Airlink Mesaba is replacing the Dash 8s with Avro RJ85s and Saab 340s.
Meanwhile, fellow US Airways Express operator Chautauqua Airlines is building its schedule at Newark. Beginning in September, the regional will begin flying between Newark and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Hagerstown, Maryland using British Aerospace Jetstream 31 turboprops. Expansion of the Newark hub is "an integral part of our strategic planning for long-term growth," says the airline recently purchased by Wexford Management, an aviation investment firm.
Source: Flight International
