Skywest Plans on Flight a Large Number of 50 Passenger Jets, into the Future.

“We see a tremendous opportunity long-term to have that aircraft serve small communities,” Childs told the International Aviation Forecast Conference in Denver Aug. 20. “We have not [parked our smallest RJs], and we likely will not.”

Utah-based SkyWest Inc., which operates SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet Airlines—both regional feeders for mainline carriers—had a 583-aircraft fleet as of June 30. More than half—298—were either Bombardier CRJ200s or Embraer ERJ135/145s. 

It plans to end the year with 585 aircraft, continuing a trend of right-sizing its fleet so it is large enough to capitalize on opportunities, but small enough to be somewhat isolated from demand fluctuations.

Since ending 2014 with 717 aircraft, SkyWest steadily has reduced its fleet, ending each year with fewer aircraft than it had at the start. It also has adjusted its ratio of smaller aircraft to dual-class models from a 70/30 split in 2014—including some turboprops—to the 51/49 split projected for year-end 2018.