What are Southwest Airlines Fleet

Southwest Airlines Fleet

Category : Airlines / Posted on: January 16, 2023 / Author: Admin

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What are Southwest Airlines Fleet

Southwest Airlines Fleet

Southwest Airlines almost exclusively operates Boeing 737 planes since its inception (except for a short period when it leased and flew some Boeing727-200 aircraft). Southwest is the largest Boeing 737 operator in the world and was the launch customer for the 737-3, 737-5, and 737-701.

For Southwest Airlines, the Boeing customer code is H4 for both Next Gen and Classic 737s. The 737-7H4 code for the -700 and 737-7H4 codes respectively, while the 737-8H4 code for the -800 is 737-8H4. These codes are not applicable to the 737 MAX 8 or 737 MAX 7 aircraft models.

History

The beginning

Southwest Airlines started revenue flights on June 18, 1971, using three Boeing 747-200 aircraft. The type was used exclusively by the airline during its early history. These aircraft were not ordered originally by Southwest. Instead, they were delivered from Air California and Aloha Airlines. Also included was a 737-200 Combi, which was later sold with a VASP 737–200. Southwest obtained six of these aircraft and made its first all-new 737 purchase from Boeing in June 1976.

Southwest donated the nose section of a retired Boeing 737-200 to the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field in early 2004. From March 15, 1984 to January 23, 2004, the aircraft flew for Southwest. Southwest retired its last active Boeing 737-200 revenue service aircraft on January 17, 2005. However, one 737-220 was kept at Love Field up to 2009 as a training aid for ground crew.

Between 1978 and 1985, Southwest operated six Boeing 727-220 aircraft. In August 1978, the first aircraft was leased by Braniff International Airways. Braniff provided training and support. The aircraft was returned in January 1980. Southwest leased two 727-200 jets from People Express in September 1983. In February 1984, it added two more identical aircraft from the same airline. Southwest also leased a fifth 727 200 from an unidentified lessor around this time. All five aircraft were returned to Southwest in September 1985. The type was never operated again.

737 Classic era

Southwest was the first airline in the United States to operate the Boeing 737-3000. This aircraft was designed by Boeing to fulfil Southwest's needs. When Southwest absorbed Morris Air's operations in 1994, additional 737-300s were purchased from them. Southwest had 195 aircraft in its 737-300 fleet. The first 737-3000 to enter service was registered N300SW with the manufacturer's serial (msn). The aircraft, which was named "The Spirit of Kitty Hawk", flew its first flight on December 17, 1984. After 83,132 hours of flight and 77,301 cycles, N300SW was retired in April 2011. It was restored and preserved by the Frontiers of Flight Museum. The museum houses a historical exhibit.

The Boeing 737-580 was launched to Southwest. It was a smaller version than the 737-220, but had a greater range and fuel capacity. The 737 500 was bought for new long-haul routes that were less popular than the 737 200. However, it had a greater fuel capacity and range. Southwest was the launch customer.

737 Next Generation era

Southwest became a 737-launch client again when it ordered its first Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft on November 1993. The first Boeing 737-707 was delivered to the airline on December 17, 1997. Southwest added the Boeing 737-880 to their fleet on April 11, 2012. Southwest now has 175 seats in the aircraft, 32 more than its previous largest 737s.

Southwest Airlines purchased the AirTran Airways fleet of Boeing717 aircraft. They were not integrated into the Southwest fleet, so they are currently being leased to Delta Air Lines. Southwest Airlines received its last Boeing 737-800 on October 1, 2018. For the foreseeable future, all deliveries were to be Boeing 737MAX variants.

737 MAX era

Southwest placed a firm purchase for 150 Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes on December 13, 2011. This made them the launch customers for the type. However, the first delivery of the 737 MAX 8 to Malindo Air was in November 2011.

Southwest was the Boeing 737 MAX 7's launch customer on May 15, 2013. Although the first delivery was scheduled for 2019, it was delayed due to the grounded of the Boeing 737 MAX.

Southwest Airlines received its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 on August 29, 2017. This was the first airline to do so in North America. Southwest Airlines was also the first airline in North America to fly the aircraft on a scheduled revenue passenger flight, on October 1, 2017.

Southwest Airlines received the 10,000th Boeing 737 on March 13, 2018. This was the Guinness World Record set by Boeing, which began producing the 737 in January 1967. This surpasses the previous record of 5,00, which was set in 2006. This flight will be under tail number N8717M. Inside the L1 door, there is a commemorative registration plate.

In March 2019, countries around world grounded the Boeing 737MAX and prohibited it from flying within their airspace. This was due to safety concerns after the fatal crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, and the crash of Lion Air flight 610 five month prior. Southwest Airlines, which operated the MAX's largest fleet of aircraft, was the most affected by the US grounding. It had 34 grounded aircraft. Three other airlines were tied for second place with 24 aircraft. Southwest Airlines stock fell more than 4% on the day of the US grounded order.

Due to the ongoing groundings of 737 MAX aircraft, Southwest temporarily grounded 350 of its 742 planes in March 2020.

The FAA officially ended the 737 MAX grounded in November 2020. Southwest began the process to return its 34 737 MAX aircraft into service and retrain all its pilots. Southwest, the fourth US airline, resumed 737 MAX operations on March 11, 2021.

Southwest announced in October 2020 that it was looking at the Airbus A220 to replace its 737-7s. It will begin deliveries in 2025. In March 2021, Southwest announced that it had placed an order for 100 MAX 7 aircraft with delivery in 2022. However, negotiations with Airbus never took place. Southwest had converted several MAX 7 options to firm orders by June 2021. They believed that MAX 7 aircraft would only be delivered between 2022 and 2026. Southwest, however, stated in July 2022 that MAX 7 type certificate delays could delay the first delivery to 2023, and that it would instead receive MAX 8 aircraft.

Current Fleet

Southwest Airlines has an all- Boeing 737 aircraft fleet as of December 2022. It includes the following aircraft:

Southwest Airlines fleet

Aircraft

In service

Orders

Passengers

Notes

Boeing 737-700

431

143

Launch customer and largest operator.[11]
Older aircraft to be replaced by Boeing 737 MAX.[32]

Boeing 737-800

207

175

Second largest operator.[33]

Boeing 737 MAX 7

192[28]

150

Deliveries begin in 2023.[28]
To replace older Boeing 737-700.[27]

Boeing 737 MAX 8

141

215[28]

175

Largest Boeing 737 MAX operator.[34]
To replace older Boeing 737-700.[35]

Total

779

407



 

History Fleet

Southwest Airlines fleet history

Aircraft

Total

Introduction

Retired

Replacement(s)

Notes

Boeing 727-200

6[6]

1978

1985

Boeing 737-300

Leased; not operated concurrently.[6]

Boeing 737-200

54[2]

1971

2005

Boeing 737-700

Southwest's first aircraft type.[2]

Boeing 737-300

195[9]

1984

2017

Boeing 737-700
Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737 MAX 8

Launch customer.[7]

Boeing 737-500

25[10]

1990

2016

 

Launch customer.[7]

Southwest Airlines Office Addresses :

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Abel Santamaria Airport in Santa Clara

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Akron Canton Regional Airport in Akron

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Albany International Airport in Albany

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Albuquerque International Sunport in Albuquerque

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Alexandria International Airport in Alexandria

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Austin Bergstrom International Airport in Austin

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Baltimore

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport in Baton Rouge

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Biggs Army Air Field (Fort Bliss) in Fort Bliss/El Paso

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field in Little Rock

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Bishop International Airport in Flint

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Blue Grass Airport in Lexington

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Bob Hope Airport in Burbank

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field in Boise

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Bowling Green Warren County Regional Airport in Bowling Green

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Bradley International Airport in Hartford

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Buffalo

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Cancún International Airport in Cancún

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Cecil Airport in Jacksonville

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Charleston International Airport in Charleston

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport in Cincinnati / Covington

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport in Colorado Springs

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Columbia Metropolitan Airport in Columbia

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Columbia Regional Airport in Columbia

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Corpus Christi International Airport in Corpus Christi

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas-Fort Worth

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Dallas Love Field in Dallas

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Denver International Airport in Denver

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Des Moines International Airport in Des Moines

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on El Paso International Airport in El Paso

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Eppley Airfield in Omaha

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Fort Worth Meacham International Airport in Fort Worth

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Gainesville Regional Airport in Gainesville

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on George Bush Intercontinental Houston Airport in Houston

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus/W Point/Starkville

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Great Falls International Airport in Great Falls

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Greater Rochester International Airport in Rochester

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Greenville Spartanburg International Airport in Greer

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Guanacaste Airport in Liberia

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Gulfport Biloxi International Airport in Gulfport

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Harrisburg International Airport in Harrisburg

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Hunter Army Air Field in Savannah

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Indianapolis International Airport in Indianapolis

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport in Jackson

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Jacksonville International Airport in Jacksonville

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on James M Cox Dayton International Airport in Dayton

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on John Wayne Airport-Orange County Airport in Santa Ana

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on José Martí International Airport in Havana

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Juan Gualberto Gomez International Airport in Varadero

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José (Alajuela)

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport / Robert Gray Army Air Field in Killeen

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on La Crosse Regional Airport in La Crosse

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on La Guardia Airport in New York

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Lancaster Airport in Lancaster

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Licenciado Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Logan International Airport in Boston

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Long Beach Airport (Daugherty Field) in Long Beach

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Long Island Mac Arthur Airport in Islip

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Los Cabos International Airport in San José del Cabo

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in New Orleans

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport in Lubbock

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in Manchester

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Memphis International Airport in Memphis

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Metropolitan Oakland International Airport in Oakland

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Miami International ort in MiamiAirp

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Midland International Airport in Midland

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field in Minneapolis

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport in San Salvador (San Luis Talpa)

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Nashville International Airport in Nashville

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on New York Stewart International Airport in Newburgh

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Newark Liberty International Airport in New York

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport in San Jose

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in Panama City Beach

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Ontario International Airport in Ontario

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Orlando International Airport in Orlando

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Pensacola International Airport in Pensacola

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Pittsburgh International Airport in Pittsburgh

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Pope Field in Fayetteville

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Portland International Airport in Portland

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Portland International Jetport in Portland

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport in Puerto Vallarta

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Punta Cana International Airport in Punta Cana

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Queen Beatrix International Airport in Oranjestad

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Raleigh Durham International Airport in Raleigh/Durham

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Reading Regional Airport (Carl A Spaatz Field) in Reading

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Reno Tahoe International Airport in Reno

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Richmond International Airport in Richmond

Southwest Airlines Co. Office Address on Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport in Amarillo

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