Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is ending its services at four airports, which will result in 2,000 fewer employees, according to first-quarter reports.
The announcement was made by Bob Jordan, President and Chief Executive Officer early Thursday.
The airline netted a loss of $231 million in the first quarter of 2024 and announced it would be pulling out of several airports as a result.
Jordan warned in the report that the carrier is intensifying efforts to address underperforming markets.
“To improve our financial performance, we have intensified our network optimization efforts to address underperforming markets,” said Jordan in a released statement.
“Consequently, we have made the difficult decision to close our operations at Bellingham International Airport, Cozumel International Airport, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and Syracuse Hancock International Airport. I want to sincerely thank our Employees, the airports, and the communities for all their incredible support over the years.”
Jordan placed some of the blame on the recent delays from Boeing.
“The recent news from Boeing regarding further aircraft delivery delays presents significant challenges for both 2024 and 2025. We are reacting and replanning quickly to mitigate the operational and financial impacts while maintaining dependable and reliable flight schedules for our customers,” Jordan explained.
Southwest is not the first airline to report losses due to delays from Boeing.
In March, United Airlines announced it was temporarily pausing pilot hiring due to new aircraft certification and manufacturing delays at Boeing.
The Airline announced it had suffered about $200 million loss due to the temporary grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 9 earlier this year.
Joshua Carter