Silver Airways (Fort Lauderdale International) has announced plans to wind down operations at its Cleveland Hopkins hub and phase out its Beech 1900D fleet as part of its plan to strengthen operations, simplify its fleet, increase revenue, reduce costs, and better position itself for future growth and new markets. The carrier said it would either retrain or redeploy its pilots, mechanics, and airport team members to operate its core Saab 340B fleet in its other key markets. In its filing with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Silver said it would discontinue scheduled service between Cleveland and five communities including Jamestown Chautauqua County; Bradford, Pennsylvania; DuBois, Pennsylvania; Franklin Venango Regional, Pennsylvania; and Parkersburg, West Virginia no later than May 15, 2014. “We have been privileged to be able to serve these cities from Cleveland for almost six years, but multiple factors have combined to make it economically impossible for us to continue flying in these markets. As a result, we will be retiring our fleet of five remaining Beech 1900D aircraft and retraining or redeploying our pilots and maintenance team members, allowing us to conclude our fleet simplification efforts and focus exclusively on our core fleet of 28 advanced Saab 340B Plus aircraft. In doing so, we will be able to strengthen our operations in our key markets and position our airline for additional growth,” said Silver Airways President and CEO Dave Pflieger. “New federal regulations related to air transport pilot certification, as well as new flight and duty limitations and rest requirements have had the unintended effect of creating a nationwide pilot shortage and significantly increasing operating costs. Those facts, coupled with lower than expected passenger enplanements in most of these cities, the recently announced regional flight reductions at Cleveland International Airport, and our need to finalize our transition from 19-seat Beech 1900D aircraft to larger and more advanced and economical 34-seat Saab 340B aircraft, all influenced our decision.”