Delta Airlines to scrap its New York to Lagos service as from October 4 due to weak demand

AMERICAN carrier Delta Airlines has announced plans to discontinue its services between New York’s JFK airport and Lagos as from October 4 as part of a general scaling back of its operations along non-profitable routes.

Reeling from the effects of the economic crunch that the aviation industry is facing, Delta Airlines is streamlining its operations. In the US for instance, the airline will stop flying between its midwestern hub in Detroit and Allentown, Pennsylvania as from September 11 as part of the cuts.

Then, starting on October 5, the carrier is cutting its routes between Detroit and Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Dayton, Ohio and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Delta Airlines will also drop its flights between Minneapolis and Moline, Illinois that day, saying this all became necessary due to the current demand environment.

A Delta Airlines spokesman said: “Delta is suspending its non-stop service between New York-JFK and Lagos State to fit the current demand environment. The airline continues to operate service between Lagos and Atlanta and offers onward connections to New York and other cities across the United States.”

Despite the recent route downsizing, Delta Airlines has recently shifted its focus to new international routes as demand has picked up. On July 29, the carrier announced it would add new flights to its schedule that would affect six destinations.

Starting on December 17, the airline will kick off non-stop service for three flights a week each between Los Angeles and Tahiti and between Atlanta and Cape Town, South Africa. Delta Airlines will also be relaunching its service between Atlanta and Tel Aviv, Israel as from May 8 of next year for the first time since it discontinued the route in 2011.