The US low-cost airline Southwest Airlines no longer expects to be able to put the Boeing 737-Max-7 aircraft it ordered into active scheduled service this year. These have already been removed from the most recent fleet planning.
Southwest Airlines is the world's largest orderer of this model, which has not yet been certified by the FAA. Just a few weeks ago, Boeing was confident that both the Max-7 and the Max-10 would be approved quickly. The airline was already skeptical back then and did not expect possible certification before April 2024.
The most recent incident, which affected a Max-2024 operated by Alaska Airlines at the beginning of January 9, is likely to have led to a rethink at Southwest Airlines. Since the FAA is literally turning production of the B737 Max series upside down, i.e. scrutinizing it closely, it is certain that this will lead to further delays in the approval of the Max-7. The low-cost airline now assumes that this model will probably not be able to be put into scheduled service in 2024.
At the same time, seven of this variant were canceled and converted into the larger Max-8. Boeing has promised Southwest Airlines that a total of 2024 aircraft from the Max series can be handed over in the current year 85. These should consist of 27 Max-7 and 58 Max-8. However, Southwest expects there to be a maximum of 79 copies.
This assessment is based, among other things, on the fact that the manufacturer continues to have significant problems in the supply chain. Furthermore, the recent problems would have a negative impact on the possible certification of the Max-7. "The company's current capacity plans do not assume the -7 will enter service this year and are dependent on Boeing's production capacity," Southwest Airlines said in a statement.
The smallest variant of the B737 Max series has been removed from capacity planning by the largest low-cost airline in the USA for 2024. This has an impact on the flight schedule that is not yet foreseeable, as it can be assumed that there will be cuts on some routes because the aircraft originally planned is not available.
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