Mesa Announces Action to Balance Pilot Supply

PHOENIX, July 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  Mesa Air Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MESA) (“Mesa” or the “Company”) today announced the furlough of 12 pilots and training deferrals for 41 pilot trainees, effective July 12, 2024. These actions are the result of significantly reduced attrition among Mesa’s active pilot workforce. The Company currently anticipates this will save approximately $750,000 per month in operating expenses.

“Over the last two years, attrition at Mesa often exceeded 25 pilots per month due to the pilot shortage created by the FAA’s implementation of the ‘1,500-hour rule’,” said Jonathan Ornstein, Mesa Chairman and CEO. “As a result, we undertook significant efforts to increase our pilot hiring, including our Mesa Pilot Development (MPD) program. However, attrition has fallen more precipitously than expected at Mesa in the past few months, in part due to the slowdown or cessation of hiring across most airlines. In addition, we believe the industry-wide pipeline will continue to improve as pilots previously denied the opportunity to fly commercially due to the lack of 1,500 hours finally achieve requisite flight time.

“While we deeply regret these actions, we expect reduced attrition and a more stable pilot force will enable us to increase our Embraer-175 block hours with United,” continued Ornstein. “Based on our current outlook, we anticipate starting to recall pilots by the end of the year. Additionally, once our pilot pipeline has recalibrated, we will resume hiring pilot trainees based on anticipated attrition levels.”

About Mesa Air Group, Inc.

Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Mesa Air Group, Inc. is the holding company of Mesa Airlines, a regional air carrier providing scheduled passenger service to 73 cities in 32 states, the District of Columbia, Cuba, and Mexico. As of June 30, 2024, Mesa operated a fleet of 73 aircraft, with approximately 279 daily departures. The Company had approximately 2,000 employees. Mesa operates all its flights as United Express pursuant to the terms of a capacity purchase agreement entered into with United Airlines, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes information that constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Words such as “anticipate”, “estimate”, “expect”, “project”, “plan”, “intend”, “believe”, “may”, “might”, “will”, “should”, “can have”, “likely” and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current beliefs, assumptions, and expectations regarding future events, which in turn are based on information currently available to the Company. By their nature, forward-looking statements address matters that are subject to risks and uncertainties. A variety of factors could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those expressed in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements. For additional information about factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Company’s filings with the SEC, including the risk factors contained in its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Company’s other subsequent filings with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable laws.

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