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Mesa Air Shuttle began operations in 1980, operating a Piper Saratoga on a route between Farmington (NM) and Albuquerque. A Piper Navajo Chieftain was added during the following year. In 1983 the airline was sold to Larry and Jane Risley, which expanded the airline using Beech C99s and later Beech 1900s. The company changed its name to Mesa Airlines in 1985. By the end of 1985 it had added Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Clovis, Denver, Durango, Gallup, Hobbs, Midland, Phoenix, Roswell, Santa Fe, Silver City and Telluride.

In June 1987 it acquired some assets of Centennial Airlines, which operated from Denver to several points in Wyoming as well as Logan and Salt Lake City. In 1989 Mesa entered code-sharing agreement with Midwest Express Airlines, creating a Skyway Airlines subsidiary which would operate Beech 1900s from Milwaukee to some 13 destinations, as well as from Flint to Rochester. In February 1991 it acquired certain assets and routes from Aspen Airways, allowing it to begin United Express operations from Denver. Beech 1300s and 1900s were supplemented with Embraer Brasilias.

In July 1991, Mesa acquired Air Midwest, which was operating USAir Express flights from a Kansas City hub. Air Midwest continued to operate as a separate unit throughout its existence. In December 1991, a new USAir Express division was launched serving Florida and Gulf coast region. It was dubbed FloridaGulf Airlines, which operated Beech 1900s. In 1992, Mesa reorganized as Mesa Air Holdings, which had subsidiaries Mesa Airlines, Air Midwest, and other non-airline entities. WestAir Airlines became a subsidary of Mesa Air Holdings in May 1992. On October 1, Mesa began operating America West Express services from Phoenix, first by code-sharing on existing Mesa flights, and eventually replacing America West operated Dash 8s.

In early 1993, another United Express operation was opened in Los Angeles. Dubbed CalPac, it was another Mesa-operated division. Also the FloridaGulf division expanded into New England, operating flights from Boston to Cape Cod and the neighboring islands. In December, the Skyway division began operating America West Express branded service from Columbus. Its code-sharing with Midwest Express ended in April 1994. Since Midwest Express owned the Skyway Airlines name, the Skyway division became the Superior Airlines division (still Mesa-operated). In early 1994, Mesa acquired some assets of USAir Express carrier Crown Airways, and folded that operation into a new Mesa-operated division Liberty Express. In August 1994, the FloridaGulf division began to take over the Beech 1900s routes in the northeast that were operated by USAir Express carrier Allegheny Commuter Airlines.

On December 8, 1994, Mesa Air Holdings became Mesa Air Group; its turboprop operations at Phoenix, Albuquerque, Columbus and Denver were dubbed Mountain West Airlines, but still traded as Mesa Airlines. In February 1995, Dash 8s were added to the United Express operation in Denver. In June it began flying two Fokker 70 jets which were used on America West Express services. The two aircraft were operated by yet another Mesa-operated division, Desert Sun Airlines.

In November 1996 operational problems at WestAir resulted in Mesa taking over some flights in California and the Pacific Northwest. In February 1997, Mesa eliminated its operating divisions (FloridaGulf, Mountain West, et al) in favor of aligning with code-share partners. Soon after, Mesa began to acquire a fleet of CRJ 200s, which replaced the Fokker 70s. In addition to the America West flying, some were briefly operated in an independent operation from Fort Worth-Meacham field from May 1997 until February 1998. In January 1998, the CRJ 200s began operating for US Airways Express in the east. Later in the year, Mesa moved its headquarters from Farmington to Phoenix.

Poor performance resulted in United cancelling its code-share agreement with Mesa (and sister carrier WestAir) on April 22, 1998. Several Beech 1900s were sold to Great Lakes Airlines, which assumed the routes from Denver. Its Brasilias were removed from service. In late 1998, sister carrier Air Midwest began taking over Mesa (US Airways Express) flights in the southeast (formerly FloridaGulf division), followed by services in the Northeast in 1999.

In January 2000, Mesa ordered 36 ERJ-145s, most of which would operate for US Airways Express. In October the remaining Beech 1900 operation was turned over to sister carrier, Air Midwest. In March 2001, the airline announced plans to acquire 20 CRJ 700s and 20 CRJ 900s to operate as America West Express. The first CRJ 700 arrived in July 2002, but was operated by a newly formed Mesa Air Group subsidiary, Freedom Airlines due to pilot union rules. In February 2002, it began Frontier JetExpress service from Denver using CRJ 200s.

Mesa entered into a new United Express agreement which called for the operation of Dash 8s from the Denver hub. Flights began on July 6, 2003. This resulted in the termination of the Frontier JetExpress agreement at the end of 2003. With the pilot union rules modified, the CRJ 700s (and later delivered CRJ 900s) were transferred back to Mesa beginning in September 2003, and the CRJ 700s were used for United Express, while the CRJ 900s were used for America West. Eventually 15 CRJ 200s and a total of 25 CRJ 700s would be operating for United Express.

In June 2006 it launched a Mesa-operated division in Hawaii, go!, which operated low fare inter-island fights with 5 CRJ 200s. In October 2009, Mesa acquired the business of Mokulele airlines inter-island jet service, and Mesa Air Group acquired an interest in Mokulele's Cessna Caravan operation. The CRJ operation was rebranded go! Mokulele. The Caravan operation was sold in December 2011 and go! Mokulele reverted to go! in June.

On January 5, 2010, Mesa Air Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy allowing the airline to reject leases on its CRJ 200, ERJ-145 and Dash 8 aircraft. When it emerged from bankruptcy on March 1, 2011, it was operating 38 CRJ 900s for US Airways Express and 20 CRJ 700s for United Express. Six Dash 8s and a small number of CRJ 200s were maintained for a short period until US Airways replaced them with aircraft operated by SkyWest, and the go! operation continued with a handful of CRJ 200s. The qo! operation was shut down on April 1, 2014 due to continued losses.

In September 2013, Mesa announced that it would begin operating a fleet of 30 ERJ 175s for United Express beginning in 2014. The agreement was later expanded to include 60 airplanes. By the middle of 2014 the number of CRJ 900s operated for US Airways Express had increased to 56, and a follow-on agreement with American increased that number to 64 in 2015.

In December 2019, it announced that an additional 20 ERJ 175s would be added at United Express, replacing the existing CRJ 700 fleet. Due to the continuing pilot shortage, these last 20 airplanes were parked in 2022, and later taken up by United Express carrier, SkyWest. In July 2020, Mesa agreed to operate two Boeing 737-400s in cargo services for DHL Express. Flights began in October 2020 and in February 2023, were augmented with the addition of a Boeing 737-800. Unable to realize a profit, the DHL operation was wound up in February 2024.

In 2020, American began paring back the number of CRJ 900s covered in the American Eagle agreement. In 2021 the number of CRJ 900s operating for American Eagle was reduced to 40. In December of 2022, it was announced that the American Eagle contract would end on April 3, 2023. At the same time it negotiated a new United Express agreement which would add CRJ 900s. Initially, the total number of aircraft operating for United Express was capped at 80 (including ERJ 175s), but that number had decreased to 60 by October 2024 (due to United scope clause limitations). The CRJ 900s were removed from service entirely in March 2025.

founded - demised (age)

October 12 1980 - present  (45years)

headquarters

410 N 44th St Suite 700, Phoenix, AZ

web

www.mesa-air.com

base airports

KPHX Sky Harbor International Phoenix	Headquarters
KDEN International Airport Denver	UA Base
KIAH Intercontinental - George Bush Houston	UA Base
KIAD Dulles International Washington	UA Base

related operators

Air Midwest	sister carrier
Westair Commuter Airlines	sister carrier
CCAir	sister carrier
Midwest Express Connection	1989-1994
United Express	1990-1998, 2003-
America West Express	1992-2007
US Airways Express	1998-2013
American Eagle	2013-2023
DHL Express	contract 2020-2024