PHOENIX , Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mesa Air Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: MESA) today announced the arrival on September 28 of the first of 14 seventy six seat Bombardier CRJ-900 Next Generation aircraft scheduled to be operated for Delta Connection by its wholly owned subsidiary, Freedom Airlines. The operation of these new aircraft was announced in March 2007 and represents an expansion of the agreement that was already in place between Mesa Air Group and Delta Air Lines.

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"We are delighted Delta has given us the opportunity to expand our partnership," said Mesa Air Group Chairman and CEO, Jonathan Ornstein . "Once all 14 aircraft are delivered, we will operate a total of 50 aircraft under the Delta Connection banner. Mesa is also the only regional airline to operate this type of aircraft for two major airline partners. We believe our industry leading low costs and commitment to service will allow us to continue to expand our operations with existing partners as well as develop new partnerships in the future."

The first aircraft, registered N600LR, arrived last Saturday and is configured with 12 First Class and 64 Coach Class seats. The first two aircraft will begin revenue service on November 1, 2007 and will operate in the New York, JFK and Dallas , Fort Worth market. The remaining 12 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered over the next 16 months.

"I would like to thank all our Freedom employees whose hard work and commitment to great customer service has contributed to the growth and strength of our relationship with Delta and the arrival of these exciting new CRJ-900s", said Freedom Airlines President, Jorn Bates.

The CRJ-900 NextGen aircraft has an enhanced interior including energy efficient LED lighting, larger cabin windows, redesigned ceiling and sidewall panels, and larger overhead luggage bins.

Freedom currently operates 36 Embraer 145LR, 50 seat aircraft with over 200 daily flights for Delta Connection under separate agreements.