Southwest Airlines will pull out of Newark Liberty airport on Nov. 3, a move precipitated by the ongoing grounding of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft.
The carrier said Thursday that it has removed its 34 Max aircraft from its schedule until Jan. 5, two months longer than its most recent plan. Those groundings, coupled with the halt in new Max deliveries, will lead to an overall capacity reduction in the 1% to 2% range for Southwest this year, compared with the carrier's original plan to grow capacity by 5%.
"As such, we are taking necessary steps to mitigate damages and optimize our aircraft and resources," CEO Gary Kelly explained ahead of Southwest's Thursday earnings call. ... "The financial results at Newark have been below expectations, despite the efforts of our excellent team."
Southwest launched Newark service in 2011 and currently offers up to 20 departures per day to 10 cities. The carrier has a larger operation at nearby LaGuardia, from where it flies up to 37 departures per day to 13 cities. Southwest also flies up to 14 departures per day to five cities from Islip airport on Long Island.
The carrier said that it will offer options and flexibility from other area airports to those holding tickets on cancelled Newark flights.
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Correction: Southwest has 34 Max aircraft.