Frontier Airlines (F9, Denver International) is to move up to 455 crew to a new base at Phoenix Sky Harbor, Arizona, within a year from November 2022, with additional growth planned in the future, the airline announced.
Up to 180 pilots and 275 flight attendants would be based at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport within the first year, with more arriving in future, the ultra-low-cost carrier said in a statement.
"We are currently the third largest airline at PHX based on the number of destinations served, and we anticipate continued growth as our fleet and route network further expand," commented President and Chief Executive Officer Barry Biffle.
Frontier Airlines currently operates 14 nonstop routes from Phoenix, which will become its eighth pilot base and its ninth flight attendant base within the US.
The carrier operates a fleet of more than 110 A320 Family aircraft. It also has another 230 new Airbus aircraft on order between now and 2029, which will triple the size of its fleet.
Frontier Airlines' investment in Phoenix would lift USD12.3 billion in economic activity and increase the 57,432 jobs already supported by Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.
The airport is a civil-military airport situated about 5km east of downtown Phoenix in Maricopa County. It is the home base of Mesa Airlines (YV, Phoenix Sky Harbor).
Other airlines with crew bases there include American Airlines, Ameriflight, Boutique Air, SkyWest Airlines, and Southwest Airlines, the ch-aviation PRO airports module reveals.
Frontier Airlines currently holds merely 3% market share at Phoenix in terms of weekly airline seat capacity, with American Airlines and Southwest Airlines holding the lion's share with 40% and 34%, respectively.
