KNOXVILLE, TENN.—(Sept. 26, 2002)—Northwest Airlines and its Northwest Airlink affiliate, Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. today are celebrating the opening of a new 55,000 square foot Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility, which includes offices and shops. This is the primary maintenance facility for Northwestå‘s growing fleet of regional jets and is the first tenant in McGhee Tyson Airportå‘s West Development Area.
At 5 p.m. today officials from Northwest Airlink, along with U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-Tenn.), Knoxville’s Deputy Mayor, Craig Griffith, and Kirk Huddleston, Chairman, Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority will co-host a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Music will be provided by the Maryville High School Band.
This facility is designed to be Pinnacle’s principal location to support its expanding fleet of regional jets. Pinnacle is widely recognized as one of the nation’s most reliable carriers according to DOT statistics. The Knoxville hangar will house an engine shop, interior shop and component shop as well as act as the primary parts storage facility for Pinnacle’s route system. In addition, Bombardier Aircraft, General Electric Aircraft Engines and Collins Aerospace have opened offices within the Northwest hangar.
The new hangar has a clear-span width of 197 feet and an inside height of 45 feet. It is configured to accommodate four Canadair Regional Jet aircraft. The facility is served by a brand new taxiway built specifically for Northwest and future development in the area. When fully operational, this facility will employ more than 100, with an annual compensation of over $4.6 million. Pinnacle has already invested more than $9 million in parts and provisioning.
Earlier this year, Northwest Airlines also announced new service between its hub in Minneapolis/St. Paul and Knoxville beginning October 27, 2002. Northwest currently provides service from its Detroit and Memphis hubs, allowing Knoxville customers to connect to 750 cities across the globe on Northwest or its affiliates.
All flights are currently open for sale through www.nwa.com, Northwest Airlines Reservations at 1-800-225-2525 or through travel agencies.
Northwest Airlines is the world`s fourth largest airline with hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam and more than 1,400 daily departures. With its travel partners, Northwest serves nearly 750 cities in almost 120 countries on six continents.
Pinnacle Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines doing business as Northwest Airlink. The carrier operates Canadair Regional Jets at Northwest Airlines’ hubs in Detroit, Memphis and Minneapolis - St. Paul, as well as Saab 340 turbo-prop regional airliners at Memphis. Pinnacle employs more than 2,400 and is headquartered in Memphis, Tenn.
——-