The regional carrier will sell the aircraft to United.
A United Express Embraer E175 (Photo: Shutterstock | Austin Deppe)
Mesa Airlines will shed more of its fleet in the coming months following a purchase agreement with United. The Phoenix-based airline disclosed the transaction in a Tuesday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
As part of the deal, the regional carrier will sell 18 of its Embraer E175 aircraft to United for $229.1 million. According to Cirium Fleet Analyzer data, Mesa has 57 E175s in service with three in storage.
The carrier exclusively operates under the United Express brand after American ended its contract with Mesa in 2023.
The sale of eight aircraft closed on Dec. 31, the company said. The remaining 10 are expected to close by Jan. 31.
Ten of the aircraft will be leased back from United.
Last year, United reallocated some of its own E175s previously flying for Mesa to SkyWest. Approximately 20 have been shifted to the St. George, Utah-based regional carrier so far.
Mesa also plans to wind down CRJ-900 operations by March 2025. It has seven still in service with over 20 in storage.
On Dec. 24, the company said it entered into an agreement to sell 15 more CRJ-900 airframes. The buyer was not disclosed.
A Mesa Airlines CRJ-900 in Phoenix (Photo: Shutterstock | Robin Guess)
The carrier expects to generate $19 million from the sale, which will be used to pay a U.S. Treasury loan. This transaction, the company notes, will close at various points between January and April.
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