Delta Air Lines Inc., the nation’s third-largest carrier, is recalling 250 pilots laid off during the Iraq war as the airline increases capacity 12 percent by the end of the year, a company spokeswoman said Friday.
The first pilots will go back to work Oct. 1, said Peggy Estes, a spokeswoman for the airline. “Passenger demand will return, so we will increase our capacity to pre-war levels by the end of this year.”
In March, Delta announced the furloughs, which began a month later. Global air traffic fell by almost one-fifth in April after the Iraq war and severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, discouraged people from flying.
