Southwest Airlines still intends to be the launch customer of the newly certified Boeing 737 MAX 7 aircraft, although current schedule data shows that the Dallas-based carrier has no plans to operate the aircraft in 2026, and the model doesn’t appear in schedule lines through March 2027.
The 737 MAX 7, now commonly just called the 737-7, won certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday after nearly a decade of “sustained work to resolve complex technical issues and complete a thorough review of the airplane’s design and supporting safety analyses.”
The aircraft is the smallest model in the MAX lineup, but it also comes with the furthest range, capable of flying up to 3,800 nautical miles, which is around 8.5% further than the 737-8, which Southwest also operates.
Southwest plans to take delivery of up to 82 Boeing 737-7 aircraft by the end of this year, according to an SEC filing from last month. The airline warned, however, that the exact timing of deliveries would be affected by FAA certification and continued manufacturing delays.
At one point, Southwest had more than 300 Boeing 737-7s on order, but it has converted some of this order into larger 737-8 models, bringing the total number on order to 262.
On Monday, Southwest welcomed the long-awaited certification of the 737-7, saying in a statement: “Southwest Airlines is pleased with the FAA’s certification of the Boeing 737-7 aircraft and we look forward to the plane entering service in the coming months.”
“Certification is an important step toward continuing to modernize our all-Boeing 737 fleet with upgraded interiors and more fuel-efficient aircraft to fit our Customers’ preferences and demand patterns.”
The FAA originally intended to certify the 737-7 in 2019, but the fatal crashes of two larger 737-8 aircraft, the first in 2018, operated by Lion Air, and then just months later, the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet, meant that certification work was suspended.
When the review process got back on track, engineers discovered a potentially serious issue with the CFM-manufactured engines, which meant significant design changes had to be made. Following that, further changes had to be made to flight controls and cockpit warning systems.
Now that the 737-7 has been certifed we may well see Southwest planning to order even more of these aircraft. The alternative, though, is that Southwest thinks it needs to add capacity, not necessarily with more planes, but with more seats across the same fleet size.
If that is the case, Southwest could end up converting more 737-7 orders into larger variants like the 737-8.
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