Midwest Airlines Selects Empire AeroCenter as MD-80 Heavy Maintenance Contractor

Milwaukee, WI -- Midwest Airlines has selected Empire Aero Center Inc. (EAC) to handle heavy maintenance operations for its MD-80 aircraft. EAC is a subsidiary of Israel Aircraft Industries, a globally recognized leader in the development of military and commercial aerospace technology. The company occupies a 374,000-square-foot hangar on the former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, NY. The Midwest Airlines fleet will have a dedicated bay in the EAC hangar.

"We are pleased to form this partnership with EAC," said David C. Reeve, senior vice president of operations. "Our review process made it clear that EAC is committed to providing the highest levels of quality and safety in a timely and cost-efficient manner."

"We are proud to be part of the Midwest Airlines team," said Joseph Reinherz, EAC president. "Midwest Airlines and EAC share the same views regarding safety and quality, and we look forward to applying those qualities to our work on the airline's MD-80 fleet."

Midwest Airlines made the decision to move heavy maintenance operations for its MD-80s to an outside organization in October of 2004 due to changes in the composition of the airline's fleet. At that time, the airline said it was no longer efficient to maintain a heavy maintenance operation in-house. At one time, the airline's fleet consisted of 37 DC-9s and MD-80s, all of which required routine heavy maintenance. However, in recent years the airline has replaced the DC-9s with new Boeing 717 aircraft that will not require heavy maintenance for several years. Midwest Airlines employees will continue to perform routine daily maintenance work on the airline's Boeing 717 and MD-80 fleet at the airline's facilities in Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Washington, D.C.