RDATE:14092007
LOUISVILLE, Ky -- Compass Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines (NYSE: NWA), today announced that the regional carrier will construct an aircraft maintenance facility at Louisville International Airport.
The $9.85 million maintenance facility will include three aircraft bays and handle scheduled maintenance for the carriers new fleet of 76-seat Embraer E-175 regional jet aircraft. Compass expects the Louisville maintenance facility to create up to 70 new jobs when construction is completed in fall of 2008.
Todays announcement is the first step in the completion of another major milestone for Compass Airlines. In 2007, Compass employees have worked extremely hard to achieve FAA certification, the airlines first revenue flight and the carriers first flights with the new state-of-the-art E-175 aircraft. These efforts, combined with completion of the Louisville maintenance facility will provide Compass with the solid foundation needed to ensure a successful future, said John Bendoraitis, president.
Several locations were considered for the facility, but the Northwest Airlines Louisville flight schedule and the city's proximity to the Northwest hubs of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit and Memphis made Louisville the ideal location for Compass to perform its scheduled aircraft maintenance.
Design of the new facility is expected to be completed later this year with construction beginning in spring of 2008.
Compass would like to thank J.D. Nichols, Skip Miller, Michael Burris, Karen Scott and the entire Louisville Regional Airport Authority; Secretary Robbie Rudolph, Brett Traver and the Cabinet for Economic Development; Mayor Abramson and Louisville Metro; Bruce Traughber with Louisville Metro Economic Development; and Joe Reagan, Daryl Snyder and Greater Louisville, Inc. who were all instrumental in making todays announcement a reality, said Bendoraitis.
"The Compass maintenance facility is yet another example of the continued success story and economic payoff that has resulted from the foresight of our community's leaders when they initiated the airport expansion project," said J.D. Nichols, Airport Authority Board Chairman.
Compass operates the state-of-the-art 76-seat E-175 regional jet aircraft that provides customers with best-in-class cabin comfort. By the end of 2008, there will be 36 E-175 aircraft in the Compass fleet.
The E-175 offers dual-class service with 12 seats in first class and 64 seats in coach class. The first class seats, arranged in a one seat-aisle-two seat configuration, offer 36 inches of pitch, or space between rows. Coach class, arranged in a two seat-aisle-two seat configuration, provides pitch comparable to other aircraft in Northwests current mainline fleet.
The E-175 is designed to provide customers with best-in-class comfort, including leather seating with adjustable headrests, and more room throughout the cabin than traditional regional jets. The aircraft features 6 feet 7 inches of headroom in the aisle and increased shoulder room when seated. Sidewall-mounted seats are designed to maximize under-seat space, improving passenger comfort and stowage capacity, and overhead compartments offer more storage compared to traditional regional jets and can accommodate 24 x 16 x 10 roll-on bags.
Northwest and its Northwest Airlink partner airlines currently provide nonstop service to three destinations from Louisville, including Detroit, Memphis and Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Based in Chantilly, Va., Compass Airlines is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines and operates 76-seat Embraer E-175 regional jet aircraft as a Northwest Airlink partner under service agreements with Northwest Airlines. Compass plans to operate a fleet of 36 E-175 aircraft by the end of 2008.
CONTACT: Compass Airlines WWW: http://www.compassairline.com
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