Delta Air Lines Says It Will Recall 700 Maintenance Employees

Nov. 20, 2006
Delta currently has 1,295 maintenance employees on furlough. The recalled workers will support more international flying in 2007 and perform other maintenance jobs.

Delta Air Lines Inc., facing a hostile buyout bid by a smaller rival and seeking to emerge from bankruptcy as a standalone carrier, said Monday it is recalling 700 furloughed maintenance employees.

The decision comes less than a year after the Atlanta-based airline said it would cut up to 1,000 maintenance jobs as part of a previously announced work force reduction plan.

Tony Charaf, Delta's senior vice president of technical operations, told employees in a memo that the recall was made possible by the carrier's ability to become more competitive and grow its business profitably in recent months at a rate beyond its expectations.

Charaf said US Airways' bid last week to buy Delta in a deal now worth about $8.7 billion will not stop Delta's progress in its restructuring plan.

Delta currently has 1,295 maintenance employees on furlough, spokeswoman Betsy Talton said. She said the recalled workers will support more international flying in 2007 and perform other maintenance jobs. About 200 maintenance employees had already been recalled in recent months, Delta said.

In April, Delta said it was partnering with Aeromexico to market and perform repair work for customers worldwide.

That deal, Delta has said, would allow Aeromexico to expand its airframe heavy maintenance capabilities and Delta to expand its maintenance, repair and overhaul services business.

Delta's technical operations division provides maintenance and engineering support services for Delta's fleet of aircraft in addition to customer aircraft, engines and components.

Delta also has been recalling pilots and flight attendants this year.

___

On the Net:

Delta Air Lines Inc.: http://www.delta.com

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Aircraft Maintenance Technology" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.