Southwest Airlines expects certification of Boeing's 737 MAX 7 by April, company executive says

Southwest expects Boeing's 737 MAX 7 plane will get certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration by April, allowing the carrier to start flying the aircraft in October and November 2024, a company executive told Reuters. Dallas-based Southwest is the largest customer of the plane, the smallest model in Boeing's MAX family. Last month, it unveiled new orders for an additional 108 MAX 7 planes for deliveries through 2031. "For our internal planning purposes, we assume it'll be certified in April and then flying for us in the October-November time frame," Andrew Watterson, COO at Southwest, said late Thursday. He said, however, that the April estimate includes a buffer and certification could still happen this year or in early 2024 as Boeing is making progress with the FAA resolving open items on certification. "We don't want a delay to affect our plans so we put padding in there," Watterson said. "We're getting closer and closer," Watterson said of the certification work. "We're towards the end here." Boeing has said it expects MAX 7 certification by the end of this year. In October, company executives said its schedule remained unchanged, with CEO Dave Calhoun saying the company will give the FAA "all the flexibility they need" to make the call.<br/>