DES MOINES, Iowa — Mesaba expects the Des Moines maintenance facility to be completed by the third quarter of 2008.

Mesaba Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines, recently announced that the regional carrier will construct an aircraft maintenance facility at Des Moines, Iowa, International Airport.

The $11.8 million maintenance facility will include four aircraft bays and handle scheduled maintenance for the carrier's fleet of 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 and new 76-seat CRJ900 aircraft. Mesaba expects the Des Moines maintenance facility to be completed by the third quarter of 2008 and it will add more than 30 jobs to the local economy.

Several locations were considered for the facility, but the Northwest Airlink carrier's Des Moines flight schedule, combined with the city's proximity to Mesaba's Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit and Memphis hubs and the airport infrastructure already in place, made Des Moines the ideal location for Mesaba to perform its scheduled aircraft maintenance.

Construction on the new facility is expected to begin later this year.

"Mesaba's new Des Moines maintenance facility builds on Northwest's long-standing relationship with the city of Des Moines and the state of Iowa," said Neal Cohen, Mesaba chairman and Northwest Airlines CEO - regional airlines.

Mesaba took delivery of its first Bombardier CRJ900 regional jet aircraft earlier this year and will have a fleet of 36 CRJ900 aircraft by the end of 2008. The CRJ900 offers dual-class service with 12 seats in first class and 64 seats in coach class. The interior of Mesaba's CRJ900 aircraft have been modified from the standard CRJ900 platform and feature leather seats, larger overhead compartments to accommodate more carry-on luggage, larger windows offering enhanced passenger views, light emitting diode (LED) lighting throughout the cabin, a new sidewall and ceiling panel design, and additional headroom throughout the aircraft.

Source: ExpansionManagement.com