Southwest Airlines (WN, Dallas Love Field) has increased its B737 MAX backlog by firming ten B737-7 options, while also converting four earlier -7 orders into B737-8s.
The low-cost carrier revealed in its annual earnings release that the four converted orders would be delivered in 2023. In turn, the ten newly firmed -7 commitments are due in 2024.
Following the adjustments, the airline has a firm order for 427 B737 MAX, including 192 -7s and 235 -8s. It also has a further 137 options. Southwest stressed that it had the flexibility to move both the firm orders and options between the -7s and -8s.
The LCC expects significant MAX deliveries in 2023. Although the official delivery forecast anticipates as many as thirty-one -7s and 105 -8s due, Southwest Airlines said it expects only around 100 aircraft to arrive this year "due to Boeing's supply chain challenges and the current status of the -7 certification".
The 2023 plan includes 46 aircraft overdue from 2022, including fourteen -7s and thirty-two -8s. The smaller variant has yet to be certified, and Southwest stressed that any forecasts are tentative as the final timeline depends on FAA certification.
Under the current timeline, Southwest Airlines expects no -8s in 2024 and 2025, when it will focus on inducting the -7s: 51 in 2024 and 30 the year after.
The ch-aviation fleets module shows that the carrier's current B737 MAX fleet comprises 143 -8s. Southwest Airlines has no orders for B737-9s or B737-10s. It is one of only four confirmed customers for the -7 and by far the largest, accounting for 235 out of 292 total orders for the variant.
