ATA's Indy Maintenance Facility To Close In November

INDIANAPOLIS -- ATA Airlines will close its Indianapolis airplane maintenance facility in November and relocate some of the workers to a different center, a company spokeswoman said Monday.

Eighteen of the center's 50 employees will be laid off, and the rest will be relocated to Dallas or Phoenix, ATA spokeswoman Maya Wagle said.

The airline is headquartered in Indianapolis, but the city is no longer a hub for ATA flights. The airline reduced its fleet and cut destinations after filing for bankruptcy protection in 2004. It emerged from bankruptcy last year.

Most of ATA's planes undergo maintenance at other centers, especially in the West, where the airline expanded service.

Wagle said ATA will maintain its headquarters in Indianapolis.

"There is no reason to move out of Indianapolis," Wagle said. "The airline was founded here."