Pinnacle Airlines said that its Pinnacle Airlines subsidiary will operate additional CRJ-900 aircraft for Delta Air Lines on a short-term basis beginning in October 2008. Pinnacle currently has eleven CRJ-900 aircraft in its fleet, with nine aircraft in service under its Delta Connection Agreement. Pinnacle will receive three CRJ-900s in October and four more in November that were formerly operated by another Delta Connection carrier, temporarily taking the number in Pinnacle’s fleet to 18. The aircraft will be leased by Pinnacle from Delta on a short-term basis. Pinnacle will operate these temporary aircraft under the terms of the existing Delta Connection Agreement, although Pinnacle will only pay a nominal rent under the terms of the leases.
Pinnacle will operate these seven temporary CRJ-900 aircraft until the five remaining CRJ-900 aircraft that Pinnacle has on order from the manufacturer begin delivering in January 2009. As Pinnacle’s aircraft deliver from the manufacturer, the seven temporary aircraft will be returned to Delta to be operated by another Delta Connection carrier. Pinnacle will receive the 16th CRJ-900 from the aircraft manufacturer by May 2009.
