Southwest Airlines Co., the world’s biggest operator of Boeing Co. 737 jets, may start to expand its aircraft fleet again in 2013 to end its longest no-growth period in 40 years of flying.
“We’re trying to restore profitability to the point where it is finally justified to commit to buying airplanes,” chief executive Gary Kelly said Thursday in a Bloomberg interview. “2013 is an active idea in our minds.”
The likely choice for the airline, which is the third-largest carrier in Denver, would be Boeing’s 737-800, which is bigger than Southwest’s current 737 model, Kelly said.
Southwest agreed in December to buy its first 737-800s to add seats on some routes, fly farther and boost fuel efficiency.
Southwest put the brakes on fleet growth in 2009 as travel demand crumbled during the recession, reversing a tradition of annual expansion.
The Dallas-based airline has 552 jets, all 737s, and has been taking planes in the past two years only to replace older aircraft being retired.
No final decision has been made on resuming growth in 2013, Kelly said, and that may dictate what aircraft type Southwest buys.
