Horizon Air will close its base at Anchorage Ted Stevens during the first quarter of next year as part of a wider withdrawal from the Alaskan market.

Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan told the Alaska Dispatch that the carrier’s fifty-one Anchorage-based pilots and flight attendants had been offered positions elsewhere in Horizon Air whose operations will now focus on the mainland US market.

“Since 2014, when it started service in the state of Alaska, Horizon has struggled to operate reliably and cost-effectively in such a difficult and remote environment,” Egan said. “These changes will allow Horizon to re-deploy its resources in more competitive markets in the Lower 48 and better manage our costs.”

Effective March 10, 2018, Horizon Air’s three Anchorage-based Dash 8-400s – two of which are used to serve Fairbanks Int’l and Prudhoe Bay/Deadhorse with the other spare – will be replaced by Alaska Airlines (AS, Seattle Tacoma Int’l) B737s.

Aside from Anchorage, Horizon Air also maintains bases at each of Boise, Medford, Portland Int’l, OR, Seattle Tacoma Int’l, and Spokane Int’l.