Piedmont Airlines (PT, Salisbury, MD) has announced it will take over fifteen E145s from sister carrier Envoy Air (MQ, Dallas/Fort Worth), attributing the growth spurt to a recently announced pilot pay rise.
"With a strong increase in pilot hiring, including a significant number of Direct Entry Captains, we are confident we can continue to staff and reliably operate an expanded fleet. The goal of our strategy throughout the pandemic was to secure jobs, invest in our team members and add greater value to American Airlines. This major investment and transfer of 15 aircraft is confirmation that our strategy is working," Chief Executive Eric Morgan said.
Piedmont Airlines said it is planning to start inducting the additional Embraer jets in "late summer 2022" but declined to comment on ch-aviation's request for a more detailed timeline.
The ch-aviation fleets module shows the airline currently operates fifty-three E145s for parent American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) under the American Eagle brand. It is the only type in the airline's fleet. In turn, Envoy Air operates fifty-seven E145s, in addition to ten E170s and ninety-eight E195s. No other regional capacity provider operates E145s on behalf of American Airlines. All units of the type operated under the American Eagle brand are owned by American Airlines, according to the ch-aviation fleets ownership module.
American Airlines Chief Executive Robert Isom recently conceded that American Eagle's operations were "decimated" by the pilot shortage, with around one in six regional aircraft parked. Piedmont Airlines recent agreed with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) to increase pilot salaries, which reportedly resulted in a 100% increase in new pilot applications and a 400% increase in direct entry captain applications.
