The parent of go! airline said it will shut down its Air Midwest Inc. subsidiary over the next two months.

Mesa Air Group cited the high fuel prices and insufficient demand for the closing of Air Midwest, which serves 27 cities on the Mainland.

"We are extremely saddened this decision has become necessary. Air Midwest has a long and proud history and has served millions of passengers in its 43 years of operation," said Jonathan Ornstein, Mesa's chief executive officer. "Unfortunately under the current economic conditions there was no foreseeable way to achieve sustained profitability."

Air Midwest's East Coast operations, including service to cities in Georgia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, will shut down May 23. West Coast operations in Arizona, California, Nevada and New Mexico will follow suit on May 31. Central U.S. cities in Arkansas, Missouri and Nebraska are expected to halt service June 30.

Air Midwest operates 20 Beech 19-seat aircraft. It was founded in Wichita, Kan., in May 1965, and isn't to be confused with Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines, a much larger carrier.

Shares of Mesa Air lost 7 cents to 66 cents in recent action.