Southwest Airlines Establishing Crew Base in Nashville

Southwest Airlines is getting a new crew base.

The carrier will soon open a new base for pilots and flight attendants in Nashville.

It’s the next logical step for the airline as it continues to grow in the South. The nearest crew base for Southwest in the south is in Atlanta and Jacksonville. The airline itself, of course, is based in Dallas.

Southwest plans to have up to 250 pilots based at Nashville International Airport and anywhere between 500 and 700 flight attendants. It will be the 12th crew base for the airline scattered across the country.

“Hundreds of Southwest employees who work in the air and on the ground already consider their hometown to be in Middle Tennessee, with our presence in Nashville remaining a key factor to our success, future growth, and the reliability of our network,” said Andrew Watterson, Chief Operating Officer at Southwest Airlines, in a statement. “Given our love for Nashville and the critical importance it plays in our network, it’s a natural choice to make further investments by adding a crew base and doubling down on our commitment to Music City.”

Southwest is the largest airline operating out of Nashville International, and it plans to add four more gates there before the end of the year.

The airline has had service to Nashville since 1986, and also serves another Tennessee airport, in Memphis, since 2013.

“As a top global travel destination and business hub, Tennessee is the ideal location for Southwest Airlines’ newest crew base, and we look forward to the continued economic investment, job creation for newly based jobs, and opportunity this expansion will bring for Tennesseans across the region,” said Gov. Bill Lee . “We’re honored Southwest … will be expanding its reach to the Volunteer State.”