Pinnacle Airlines to add maintenance facility at CVG

ERLANGER, Ky. - Pinnacle Airlines Corp., a regional airline based in Memphis, Tenn., will open a new aircraft maintenance station at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

Some former Comair employees have already started training with Pinnacle.

According to Joe Williams, Pinnacle's director of communications, "staffing will come from a combination of new and existing positions, including mechanics, store clerks, supervisors and management. The exact number is not yet final. We have conducted interviews and begun training some new hires from Comair."

The maintenance station will service Pinnacle Airline’s CRJ-200 and CRJ-900 regional jet aircraft. It is expected to begin operations in the next couple of months.

"CVG is well positioned within Pinnacle’s current and future route network," Williams said. "This will give us the ability to efficiently and quickly service more aircraft in our fleet, ultimately improving reliability while minimizing Pinnacle’s maintenance expenses."

The CVG station will perform line maintenance at the gates throughout the day, and overnight maintenance in a hangar at a yet-to-be-determined location.

How many jobs will be created has not been released.  It is also unclear how many current Comair employees might find work with Pinnacle.

Delta Air Lines Inc. will halt Comair flights on Sept. 29.