Southwest Airlines defers -800 deliveries

Southwest Airlines has deferred deliveries of 30 Boeing 737-800s from 2013-2014 to 2017-2018, as it focuses on hitting its profit target, the carrier confirmed. The deferrals, 20 in 2013 and 10 in 2014, will save more than $1 billion for the carrier.

“We’re more conservative right now in our ambitions with respect to expansion,” CEO Gary Kelly said Wednesday following SWA’s annual shareholder meeting, according to Bloomberg. “We’ll have plenty of aircraft in future years to be able to grow the airline … It’s just not the kind of environment I’m willing to be aggressive in terms of increasing our fleet next year.”

With the deferrals, SWA will now receive 20 737-800s in 2013 and 24 in 2014, and a total of 34 737-800s this year. Of the deferred aircraft, 15 will be delivered in 2017, with the remaining 15 scheduled for 2018. It took delivery of its first on March 8.

(Christine Boynton - ATWOnline News)