Mesa Airlines managed to eke out a $3 million net profit in the 2020 June quarter, as fixed payments from major airline partners helped it overcome a historic air travel slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Phoenix-based Mesa is the only publicly-traded US airline to record a positive result in the three-month period ending June 30, boosted by its capacity purchase agreements with American Airlines and United Airlines, under which the two major airlines compensate the regional carrier at fixed rates.
"Given the difficult operating environment, we are extremely pleased to be reporting both a profit and positive cash flow,” Mesa chairman and CEO Jonathan Ornstein said in a statement. “We believe this is the result of our relentless focus on low costs and reliable operations, the construct of our agreements with our major partners, and the dedication and hard work of all our employees.”
Mesa is scheduled to receive 20 new Embraer E175s from United Airlines, with deliveries set to begin in September and run through June 2021. The 20 new jets will replace its current fleet of Bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft, which Mesa will then return to United to be leased out to another regional carrier. As of June 30, Mesa operated 60 E175s and the 20 CRJ-700s in its 80-aircraft United Express fleet.