SIOUX CITY, Iowa --- Delta Air Lines will shutter its downtown Sioux City reservation center by Sept. 1 as part of a consolidation of its North American system.

The 165 employees, who were notified Tuesday morning, will have an opportunity to transfer to open jobs in one of seven other Delta centers, said Ashley Black, a spokeswoman for the Atlanta airline. Employees who choose not to move may be eligible for severance pay, she said.

The center is at 607 Fourth St.

Mayor Bob Scott said he's disappointed in Delta's decision to close a center that has consistently ranked among the airline's best performers.

Scott said city leaders have already been contacted by a firm, which he did not identify, that's interested in taking over Delta's office space and hiring some or all of its workers.

"It's a first-class facility and can easily be used by someone else," said city Economic Development Director Marty Dougherty at a City Hall news conference on Tuesday. "We're going to do everything we can to replace these jobs as quickly as possible."