Utah-based budget airline Breeze Airways will suspend service at Mobile International Airport through the end of the month, the company said in a statement Friday.

Breeze was the only commercial airline operating flights from downtown Mobile Airport.

Breeze Airways sees “many prospects in Mobile and surrounding areas,” according to the statement, but did not offer an expected timeline for resuming service from the airport. The suspension of service will take effect on January 31st.

Breeze Airways has been offering flights from Mobile to Orlando and Providence, Rhode Island since April. The company made its announcement about the new flights last January during a press conference at Mobile International Airport.

“We are working with our guests affected by this change to refund them in full or serve them from one of our nearby airports in the meantime,” the statement said.

Breeze’s only presence in Alabama after this month will be at Huntsville International Airport, where the company will offer flights to Orlando (five times per week), Tampa (four times per week) and Las Vegas (twice weekly) in 2025. Breeze will also offer seasonal nonstop service to Los Angeles International Airport this summer.

Breeze’s exit from Mobile Airport comes after Houston-based Avelo Airlines suspended flights to Orlando from Downtown Mobile Airport in March 2024.

Andy Wilson, executive director of the Mobile Airport Authority, told AL.com that discussions about Breeze’s existence have been going on for two months. He described it as a “mutual farewell.”

Without an airline operating out of the airport, road closures would be possible, Wilson said, to accommodate ongoing construction of a new $381 million, five-gate commercial terminal being built at the Mobile Aeroplex in Brookley. The new terminal, when it opens later this year or in early 2026, will replace the existing two-gate terminal from which Breeze Airways has previously operated.

“We concluded that this was not the best use of their aircraft and not the best use of our airport incentive funds,” Wilson said.

He said about $1.5 million had been allocated to support Breeze Airways service.

“If they stop work, we can close an access road,” Wilson said. The access road to the two-gate terminal is located where the apron for the new five-gate terminal is located.

The new commercial airport at Brookley Aeroplex south of downtown Mobile will allow the Mobile Airport Authority to transition services from Mobile Regional Airport. Three legacy airlines – American Airlines, Delta and United – will begin flights from Mobile International Airport when the new terminal opens.

Proponents of the airport swap, including city officials and the Mobile Airport Authority, believe the new commercial airport’s proximity to downtown will allow for greater expansion of destinations from Mobile and more competitive fares.

Elliot Maisel, chairman emeritus of the Mobile Airport Authority, recently told AL.com that Southwest Airlines is a prime target. He also said he wants to attract additional airlines to the new airport and is pushing for financial incentives to attract flights to the city with competitive fares.

This story was updated at 12:51 p.m. on January 3, 2025 to include a statement from Andy Wilson, executive director of the Mobile Airport Authority.