CNN Chairman Geoff Zucker In a note sent to the staff on Tuesday He blamed the coronavirus pandemic for causing the CNN airport network to end after 30 years of operation.

Zucker announced that the network, which has been broadcasting at 54 airports in the United States and Bermuda, will stop operating „as of March 31,“ citing the epidemic’s disruption of air travel in the United States and the world.

He also noted that travelers have switched to streaming news on their personal devices.

„The sharp drop in airport traffic due to COVID-19, along with all the new ways in which people are consuming content on their personal devices, has reduced the need for the CNN airport network,“ Zucker said in the note obtained by The Hill.

He continued, „Bidding farewell to such a beloved brand is not an easy task.“ „I would like to thank our friends and colleagues who have contributed to its success and to celebrate the fact that for 30 years, the CNN airport network has kept millions of domestic travelers in the know. It has also become a special part of the country’s travel experience.“

Geoff Zucker notified CNN employees that „the CNN Airport Network will end its operations as of March 31.“

„The sharp drop in airport traffic due to COVID-19, along with all the new ways in which people are consuming content on their personal devices, has reduced the need …“ pic.twitter.com/9se3oCw1gr

Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) January 12, 2021

People briefed on this issue and said Los Angeles Times The CNN airport network, supported by ads, is no longer considered profitable. The shutdown will result in about two dozen employees being laid off at CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta.

The CNN airport network was first launched in 1990.

Air travel declined during the pandemic, although the Transportation Security Administration counted that millions of planes boarded in the days around Thanksgiving and Christmas.