Boeing 737 Max ‘Hopefully’ Flying Again in Late 2020 says Southwest Airlines CEO

Southwest Airlines leaders think Boeing’s grounded 737 Max airplane will be approved to fly again in the third quarter and the carrier will have it back in its fleet by the end of 2020.

Boeing’s 737 Max jets have been grounded since March 2019 and the Federal Aviation Administration still hasn’t given its approval to the faulty anti-stall software system that caused plane crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia resulting in 346 deaths.

Dallas-based Southwest is the largest owner of 737 Max jets with 34 and the grounding caused major shortages last year when it desperately needed more planes to meet growing travel demand.

But airlines haven’t been complaining about the plane recently because COVID-19 has decimated the air travel industry and most airlines are parking planes.

“We’re still wanting to get the Max back into service,” Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said Thursday during the company’s annual shareholder meeting held virtually due to the pandemic. “The Max airplane is superior to the Next Generation 737 that we’re currently operating.”

Once the FAA recertifies the plane, Kelly said it would take about three months to get the aircraft out of storage and into the fleet.

“It burns less fuel,” Kelly said. “It’s an excellent airplane and certainly in this environment. We would love to retire some of our older aircraft, avoid some expensive maintenance and substitute with the newer airplanes.”

Boeing has more than 400 of the 737 Max jets parked in Washington state as it awaits regulators’ approval to deliver them to airlines. Fort Worth-based American Airlines owns 24 of the 737 Max planes.

Southwest would need time after the FAA gives its approval to take planes out of maintenance and train pilots on new procedures relating to the revamped MCAS anti-stall system.

Southwest is also negotiating another deal with Boeing on top of an undisclosed settlement in December that compensated the carrier for losses from the grounding, said chief operating officer Mike Van de Ven.

During the COVID-19 crisis, Southwest has grounded about 400 of its 750 planes. That’s made the shortage of 737 Max jets less pressing, but company leaders still think it would save money by flying the Max because it is more fuel-efficient, quieter and requires less maintenance than older jets.

Southwest was supposed to get another 41 of the 737 Max planes last year, 62 this year and 55 in 2021. It has cut a deal with Boeing to delay some orders and convert others into options. Now Southwest will take no more than 48 planes by the end of 2021.

“So we’re very committed to the Max,” Kelly said.

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