Ohio’s CommutAir opens Denver base for United Express ops

CommutAir (C5, Cleveland Hopkins) has announced it has opened a new crew base at Denver Int’l airport to operate on behalf of United Airlines (UA, Chicago O’Hare) as it continues to expand in its role as the US mainline carrier’s sole E145 operator. “United has been clear about the importance of its mid-continent hubs like Denver and Houston Intc’l. Our aircraft, the E145, plays a critical role in United’s route network, and we are proud to support their operation and connect people and smaller communities to the world,” Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer Joel Raymond said. CommutAir’s current network out of Denver comprises routes to Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Dickinson, Durango, CO, Fayetteville/Springdale, Flagstaff, Gunnison, Little Rock, Santa Fé, Springfield, MO, and Wichita Eisenhower. United Express’s network from the Colorado hub is also operated by SkyWest Airlines (OO, Salt Lake City), which bases both CRJ200s and E175s out of the airport. Denver is the second new hub CommutAir has opened in recent months, following Houston, which immediately became its largest base and houses a maintenance hangar and a training facility. The carrier also bases its E145s out of Washington Dulles and New York Newark, has a maintenance base at Albany, NY, and said it plans to add another maintenance facility soon, without disclosing its location. In July 2020, United Airlines decided to axe its regional capacity purchase agreement with ExpressJet Airlines (EV, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) – which subsequently suspended all operations – and consolidate its E145s operations with CommutAir. As a result, the latter’s fleet increased from thirty-eight Embraer regional twinjets in mid-2020 to sixty-four in late March 2021, already the world’s largest E145 fleet with even more growth likely. CommutAir said that going forward, as the market picks up, it will operate as many as 168 E145s on behalf of United. CommutAir does not have any other regional contracts.