Southwest CEO Bob Jordan believes that the Boeing MAX 7 won’t be ready this year and is more likely to be deployed in 2024.
The jet, which is the smallest variant in the 737 MAX family, is currently awaiting certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
According to Reuters the Southwest Airlines chief was not “counting on the MAX 7 to be in service here in 2023”.
Speaking with journalists at an Aero Club event in Washington on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, Jordan said: “We’re dependent on Boeing. And there’s progress. It’s about six months between when it’s certified and we can put it into service.”
Reuters also reported that on March 8, acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen declined to comment on when the aircraft may receive approval.
Southwest Airlines is awaiting numerous deliveries from Boeing, including 271 MAX 7s.
“Boeing is committed to 100 this year, so that’s going to push aircraft into 2024. The good thing is, it’s really not having an impact on our capacity because right now the constraint is pilots,” Jordan said. “The constraint is not aircraft. So until you get to early 2024, it really doesn’t change our capacity plan.”
In December 2022, the United States Senate granted approval to Boeing, and subsequently the FAA, to continue working towards certification of the 737 MAX-7 and MAX-10.