NWAC Northwest Airlines (MM)

Wayne County Airport Authority Supports Northwest Airlines Filing with the U.S. Department of Transportation DETROIT, June 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) filed an Answer with the U.S. Department of Transportation in support of an Application of Northwest Airlines (NASDAQ:NWAC) and its SkyTeam partners for approval of, and antitrust immunity for, certain agreements. "U.S. government approval of the application of Northwest and its SkyTeam partners is critical to the future of Northwest, and therefore the Detroit metropolitan area," said Lester Robinson, WCAA Chief Executive Officer. "Therefore, we have joined our counterparts in Minneapolis and Memphis in supporting this application." According to the filing, Northwest and its regional partners enplaned 78.9 percent of all passenger traffic at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in 2004. Moreover, during the peak season of 2005, Northwest will operate 13 daily nonstop international departures to Europe and Asia, including five frequencies per day to Amsterdam in conjunction with its immunized partner KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and two frequencies per day to Tokyo. Northwest also serves Rome; Paris; London Gatwick; Nagoya, Japan and Osaka, Japan. Northwest services from Detroit could well be enhanced and upgraded if the U.S. Department of Transportation approves and immunizes the agreements as requested by Northwest and SkyTeam. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport annually generates $5.1 billion in economic impact and supports 71,000 jobs, through its services to 160 nonstop destinations and handles over 350,000 tons of cargo and mail. According to Robinson, it is critical that the government approve the SkyTeam agreements in order to ensure that the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport economic engine continues to grow and create economic value, jobs, and tax revenue for the state and local communities. DATASOURCE: Northwest Airlines CONTACT: Michael Conway of Wayne County Airport Authority, +1-734-942-3558 Web site: http://www.metroairport.com/ http://www.nwa.com/

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