Southwest Airlines adds 100 orders for Boeing 737 MAX jet

[March 29, 2021]  (Reuters) - U.S. budget carrier Southwest Airlines Co said on Monday it had reached a deal with planemaker Boeing Co for 100 orders for a variant of the 737 MAX aircraft, with the first 30 jets scheduled for delivery in 2022.

Grounded Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft are shown parked at Victorville Airport in Victorville, California, U.S., March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

The development comes days after Reuters reported https://www.reuters.com/article/us-boeing-737max-exclusive-idUSKBN2B22OQ that Boeing was close to a multibillion-dollar deal to sell dozens of its 737 MAX 7 jets to Southwest, in potentially the jet maker's largest 737 MAX order since the aircraft's safety ban was lifted in 2020 end.

Each 737 MAX 7 carries a list price of roughly $100 million, though such jets usually sell for less than half their official value with typical market discounts, according to aircraft industry sources.

Southwest said it had converted 70 orders for the 737 MAX 8 aircraft to 737 MAX 7 orders, with an additional 155 optional orders for 737 MAX 7 or 737 MAX 8 planes for 2022 through 2029.

The changes in Southwest's order book result in a total of 349 orders and 270 options for the 737 MAX jet for 2021 through 2031, compared with a previous 249 orders and 115 options for the 737 MAX aircraft for 2021 through 2026.

(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.)

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