Southwest Airlines is pulling out of New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport following extensive delays caused by the FAA’s grounding of the Boeing 737 Max.
In a statement Thursday, the airline says it is taking steps to “mitigate damages and optimize our aircraft and resources.” It will cease operations at Newark and consolidate them at LaGuardia Airport in New York effective Nov. 3.
Southwest says the airline’s approximately 125 employees at Newark are being offered positions at LaGuardia or can bid for other jobs elsewhere.
Southwest began service at Newark in 2011. The airline offers up to 20 departures per day to 10 cities, including Denver and St. Louis.
The FAA grounded Boeing’s 737 Max in March following two fatal crashes involving the airliner in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
