Northwest to assign 36 regional jets to Mesaba

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Northwest Airlines Corp. said on Friday that it will assign 36 new regional jets to feeder carrier Mesaba Airlines, which it is about to acquire.

The Bombardier CRJ900s have 76 seats each. Northwest ordered them in October, and expects the first one to be delivered in May. It has also ordered 36 Embraer 175s, to be flown by its new regional subsidiary Compass Airlines.

Mesaba currently flies 49 propeller-driven Saabs and one regional jet for Northwest. Its fleet once numbered about 100 planes but has been cut as both airlines reorganize under bankruptcy protection. Mesaba plans to emerge from bankruptcy as a subsidiary of Northwest.