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following a time of inactivity. If you’re after some quick news feel free to head over there!
When Airbus took over the C Series program and renamed it to the A220 one of the main
things they wanted to do was offer customers within the United States
another alternative for their regional operations or even operations across the country. Since then
the aircraft manufacturer has opened up their Alabama plant where they produce the A220 and has
seen multiple orders from customers like that of Delta and Jetblue, that could be looking to grow.
However, in a recent earnings call the Southwest CEO Gary Kelly commented on a question that came
from an analyst surrounding the future of the airline when it came to expansion,
specifically centering around the Airbus A220. A move to potentially the A220 would be a big one
considering the airline operates an all Boeing fleet of 737 aircraft with the -700s and -800s
featuring. It also has the Boeing 737 MAX 8 but those naturally are parked at the moment.
A move to Airbus for the future would deal quite the blow to Boeing for potential future
orders as Southwest looks to replace their older Boeing 737s, especially the 737-700s
which average age of some 16+ years and will be completely removed by the end of the decade
so working to replace these is something Southwest will need to seriously be thinking about
in the future, with the future surrounding the 737 MAX very much unknown and customers losing
confidence it would definitely not be hard to see why Southwest might make the move.
Back to the CEO though, he noted that if there was a scenario where the airline was making a change
of an aircraft type it would be now more than ever as they’re desperate to grow the airline,
and now might be the only time. With that being said they also have a surplus of aircraft at
this point in time. Just before I mentioned that the carrier had hundreds of 737-700s,
in fact, that amount is close to 500. Currently, it does not have enough 737 MAX 7s on order to
replace that. It means that the A220 could become an option if what the CEO is saying does solidify.
The CEO thanks to the points guy went onto say “we absolutely do need the smaller airplane,”
Therefore it is looking at the A220 in an order which would be placed in around a year
with deliveries beginning 4 years after that in around 2025. Of course, this is subject to
change and simply what we’ve heard as of now. The A220-300 can seat up to 160 passengers whereas the
Boeing 737 MAX 7 can seat up to 172. Both though seamlessly fit into the Southwest operations
Talk surrounding the A220 and Southwest is not exactly new, in fact, it was reported all the way
back in 2019 by The Air Current that they were already taking a look at the Airbus A220. This
came just months after they had said they weren’t after an alternative to the 737 MAX or more
generally the 737 series. Following the grounding as you might expect things quickly changed.
What are your thoughts on the interest and ongoing battle Southwest is currently having
with deciding the aircraft for their future and to especially replace their now aging 737-700s?
Feel free to drop them in the comments and if you were in the position of Southwest would you move
for the A220 or stick with the 737 MAX 7s and maintain all operations with Boeing aircraft.
Drop them in the comments below and as always thank you very much for your continued support
it is greatly appreciated! Happy Monday and I’ll speak to you all tomorrow like always.