JetBlue will discontinue its popular route from Burlington International Airport to New York City and Delta will reduce service there because of an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers.

JetBlue’s twice-daily flights to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport account for roughly 10 percent of monthly passengers in Burlington, the airport said. Flights will end on January 5, according to the discount airline.

Delta will trim flights between BTV and JFK to once daily, down from three, and drop service to and from LaGuardia Airport from four trips daily to two, the airline confirmed.



The changes at LGA take effect December 7 and January 8 at JFK.

The service changes at both airlines took BTV officials by surprise, spokesperson Jeff Bartley said. The airport announced the JetBlue change after hearing of it secondhand. Officials there didn’t learn of Delta’s decision until reading about it in local news reports.

For months, New York-area airports have been hampered by a labor shortage, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to take steps to reduce air traffic, including by encouraging larger aircraft. The agency has also allowed airline companies to limit the flights they offer without penalty. Industry observers have said routes to smaller cities were most likely to see cutbacks. Burlington is not the only airport affected.

JetBlue cited the FAA actions in announcing its decision to end its Burlington service, which it has operated for more than 20 years.

“We expect the current air traffic controller shortage to last for some time and do not see a path to feasibly bringing back this flight,” the company said in a statement.

JetBlue also pointed to the end of a partnership with American Airlines that allowed it to offer expanded service in the Northeast. A federal judge recently ruled that the corporate "alliance" ran afoul of antitrust law.

United Airlines also offers service between BTV and New York City. Airport officials have not been in touch with United about the status of those routes. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

BTV aviation director Nic Longo said in a statement that officials will work with other airlines to expand service.