Southwest Airlines to end Syracuse flights in August

Cites Boeing delivery delays

SYRACUSE — Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) will keep operating at Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) for a couple more months before the airline ends service there and at three other airports. Southwest informed the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority (SRAA) that it will halt flights at SYR on Aug. 4 of this year. The news was part of a broader announcement the airline made April 25 regarding service and cost cuts. In its first-quarter earnings report, Dallas, Texas–based Southwest said, “significant challenges presented by Boeing aircraft delivery delays, and the related reduction in second half 2024 capacity, negatively impact the Company’s previous expectation for double-digit year-over-year operating revenue growth for full year 2024.” Besides the Syracuse airport, Southwest will also shut down operations at Bellingham International Airport in Bellingham, Washington; Cozumel International Airport in Mexico, and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Southwest said in its quarterly financial report.  Southwest says it now anticipates receiving less than half the number of new airplanes from Boeing this year that it had been expecting. This is crimping the airline’s available flight capacity. “While we are disappointed to hear this news, we recognize the challenges the airline is facing due to Boeing aircraft delivery delays and lack of available capacity,” Jason Terreri, SRAA executive director, said in a SRAA news release on April 25. “We appreciate Southwest leadership flying in to deliver the news in person [April 24]. During this conversation, they shared our market was performing as expected for a new city. However, given the constraints of this new environment, the airline had to make a decision to reallocate existing aircraft to other priority markets.” Southwest started offering flights from Syracuse in November 2021 and arrived to much fanfare.  Both the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority and the airline held a welcoming event for the flight that arrived from Baltimore on Nov. 14, 2021.  The airline currently provides direct air service from SYR to cities including Baltimore and Orlando. The SRAA said it will remain “actively engaged” with Southwest Airlines to determine a future date for the airline to relaunch service at SYR.