Yes they were revered as gods in PIT..........
No wonder: Wasn't Frank the ring leader here...hmmm
Oh The God that he is.....but a God with negative results, nice guy though
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Agreement expected on US Airways repair facility
Saturday, December 15, 2001
By Mark Belko, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
The Allegheny County Airport Authority says it is close to a deal with US Airways to build a maintenance center at Pittsburgh International Airport that would service Airbus and Boeing 737 jets.
The center, to be financed exclusively with taxpayer dollars, would be a scaled down version of the $160 million maintenance complex agreed to by United Airlines before its merger with US Airways collapsed.
The new facility would cost an estimated $120 million to $130 million and would be built and financed by the airport authority with the help of the state. It is part of an effort by the county and the authority to retain as many as 5,000 maintenance-related jobs in the region.
Authority officials and the county have been discussing the complex with US Airways for the past month. The authority is hoping to receive a letter of intent from the airline, the airport's dominant carrier, within the next few days.
The letter would tie US Airways to leasing the facility, which would be owned by the authority. As presently envisioned, the center would service all Airbus jets and Boeing 737-300 and 400 aircraft in the US Airways fleet.
"We're hoping something can be resolved as soon as possible," authority Executive Director Kent George told authority board members at their meeting yesterday.
US Airways officials declined comment.
Allegheny County and the authority hatched the idea of undertaking construction of the maintenance center themselves after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
US Airways suffered huge losses in the weeks after the event as a skittish public spurned air travel. The airline, the nation's sixth largest, reported third-quarter losses of $433 million, reflecting the drop in air travel and a faltering economy. The carrier also said it expected to spend less than $20 million for nonaircraft capital projects in 2002.
With the airline unable to back the project financially, the authority came up with a plan to build the facility and to lease the space to US Airways.
The authority hopes to cobble together financing through its own funds and state help. It had sought $25 million from the state for the United maintenance project, but may need more than that to complete the latest incarnation.
"It appears there's a necessity for further [state] funds," George said, but he wouldn't elaborate.
While George told the board yesterday he does not have a signed agreement with US Airways "as of this minute," board Chairman Glenn Mahone said "there's still a very good possibility we will be able to conclude [an agreement] with US Airways by the end of the year."
The county is hoping to prevent the maintenance work -- and the thousands of jobs directly or indirectly related to it -- from migrating to other cities.
County Chief Executive Jim Roddey said last month that the airline also may be talking to other cities about its maintenance needs. He specifically mentioned Charlotte and Tampa, cities in which US Airways already does some maintenance work.
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Staff writer Frank Reeves contributed to this report
