Southwest Airlines has announced changes in the delivery schedule of its Boeing 737 MAX 7 aircraft. The airline stated in a recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing that 27 undelivered 737 MAX 7s initially slated for 2024 will now be delivered in 2025, pending the aircraft’s certification.
According to Southwest, this adjustment is due to “Boeing continues to experience delays in fulfilling its commitments with regards to delivery of MAX aircraft to the Company, as a result of manufacturing challenges, delays in achieving FAA certification of one of its new aircraft types, the -7, for which Southwest expects to be the launch customer, and a work stoppage that took place during September through November 2024.”
The airline currently holds 672 firm orders and options for Boeing 737 MAX 7 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft, with deliveries planned through 2031. Southwest added seven options for the 737 MAX 7, scheduled for delivery in 2026, bringing its total firm orders for this model to 305 units.
Southwest expects a total of 136 aircraft deliveries for 2025, comprising 70 Boeing 737 MAX 7s and 66 Boeing 737 MAX 8s. This figure includes 63 aircraft initially planned for 2024. The capital commitments for these aircraft are estimated at $3.2 billion for 2025.
The airline’s backlog now stands at 672 aircraft. In the first quarter of the year, Southwest accepted 11 737 MAX 8s and retired 12 737-700 and two 737-800 models. The airline emphasized the importance of Boeing resolving the certification issues with its 737 MAX 7 and 737 MAX 10 models, with the company’s executives stating, “the certification timelines remain unchanged.”
Boeing had announced engineering solutions, such as improvements to the engine anti-ice system, to facilitate the certification process. This comes after Boeing executives provided updates at multiple earnings calls, noting ongoing work to achieve Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approvals.
The broader context of Boeing’s efforts involves addressing backlog orders across different models of its 737 MAX aircraft family. Boeing reported 357 orders for the 737 MAX 7 and 5,601 for the 737 MAX 8 as of March 31, with certain orders remaining unfulfilled.
For Southwest Airlines, these aircraft are crucial to maintaining and expanding its operations as a low-cost carrier, operating from multiple hub airports across the United States.
