Mesaba Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul) will operate as an US Airways Express carrier with seven leased SAAB 340Bs recently returned by Delta Air Lines from the Delta Connection operation. The SAABs will be leased from SAAB.

In a message to the employees, the new operation will be based at New York’s LaGuardia Airport beginning in March 2011. Mesaba will initially operate three SAAB 340Bs with one spare 340B. Three additional 340Bs will be added in April 2011. Under the current plan, Mesaba will fly from LGA to Ithaca and Syracuse, NY; Providence, RI, Charlottesville, VA, Manchester, NH and Washington (Dulles).  Mesaba will also establish a crew domicile at LGA.

Mesaba next month will begin taking re-delivery of the seven aircraft that Mesaba previously operated – fleet numbers 402, 407, 412, 413, 414, 416, and 418. The aircraft will be painted in the US Airways 2005 livery and will feature the same interior Mesaba recently installed as part of the refurbishment program for Delta Connection.