Delta to shut down Comair

Delta Air Lines is shutting down its Comair regional air carrier, with plans to cease operations after Sept. 29.

Delta said it has enough flexibility across its network to accommodate the change, with Comair accounting for just 1 percent of its total capacity. Comair has its primary hub at Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport, and uses Bombadier jets powered by engines from GE Aviation, a subsidiary of Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric Co. that has its main operations outside Cincinnati.

Comair provides New York-area services at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Long Island.

“Delta recently announced its intent to reduce the overall number of 50-seat regional jets in its network from nearly 350 to 125 or fewer in light of the significant changes in the economic and competitive conditions in the airline industry,” said Ryan Gumm, who was appointed president of Comair this year, in an open letter to employees. “We believed this announcement would have a negative impact on Comair because we operate some of the oldest 50-seat aircraft in the Delta Connection fleet, which also have the highest unit cost per flight hour.”

Comair was founded in 1977 in Cincinnati and was acquired by Delta in 1999.