Southwest Intends to Use 737 Max Jets Once Ban Is Lifted

Southwest Airlines currently owns the largest fleet of Boeing 737 MAX airframes among U.S. based carriers. During their second-quarter earnings announcement, airline CEO Gary Kelly said they were optimistic to start flying the 737 MAX by the end of 2020.

In the wake of the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, carriers around the world have lost confidence in Boeing’s 737 MAX. However, Southwest Airline’s chief Gary Kelly has stated that the operator intends to keep using this craft after the FAA ban on the jet is lifted.

While carriers around the globe have halted their use of the 737 MAX following the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, Southwest Airlines has publicly declared that it intends to keep using the craft as soon as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifts its formal ban on the plane, Dallas Business Journal reports.

Speaking at an event earlier this week at the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Gary Kelly, Southwest’s chairman and chief executive was quoted as saying, “It’s a very good airplane, but Boeing has acknowledged that they’ve got some things they need to address with the software in that airplane. It seems like it’s a relatively straightforward modification. We’re obviously anxious to get the airplane back in service.”

The outlet reports that, at present, there are 34 737 MAX planes in the airline’s fleet, but Kelly also confirmed that the operator has “hundreds on order”.

During the event, Kelly was also asked if the carrier was seeking to change this, to which he replied, “Obviously, at this point in time, we don’t have any plans to change there. But like anyone, we’ll have to constantly evaluate what’s available in the marketplace. And we’ve been a Boeing customer all these years, and I think chances are we’ll continue to be a Boeing customer.”

In an update published via Southwest’s website on Friday, Kelly further addressed the issue, saying, “We simply don’t have a confirmed timeline to share with regard to when the MAX will return to service. There have been dates ranging from May to July depending on who is commenting. We have our schedule adjusted through August 5th, and if the aircraft are available to fly earlier, we will use them as additional spares to further enhance the reliability of our scheduled service.”

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