US Airways has announced it will close down its Pittsburgh flight operations hub with the loss of up to 600 jobs.
The operation will be relocated to the Dallas Fort Worth flight center run by American Airlines.
A move not entirely unexpected as the two airlines look to streamline operations in the wake of their recent merger, the company said the 600 affected workers will be offered positions in Dallas.
In discussions with local government officials, the airline said the relocation process will take up to 18 months to complete and some ‘voluntary attrition’ is likely.
US Airways’ Pittsburgh flight center opened in 2008 and tracks real-time flight operations and crew scheduling.
The US Airways maintenance department will remain in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future.
American Airlines’ Integrated Operations Control Center in Dallas Fort-Worth will also act as the main headquarters for the combined airline.
US Airways and American Airlines will continue to operate as individual carriers until the newly created American Airlines Group is awarded a unified operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration, which is likely to be granted within two years.
Over the last decade, US Airways has severely cut back the number of flights it operates out of Pittsburgh.
From around 200 daily flights in 2005, the carrier now runs just 40 daily departures.
