DALLAS, TEXAS — Following discussions with Boeing and ongoing supply chain issues, the largest American low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines has revised its expectations for the number of aircraft deliveries in 2023, reducing it from 100 to around 90 copies.


The operator's new aircraft delivery outlook for the year 2023 was revealed by the airline's chief executive Bob Jordan last week during the 2023 Industrials Conference of investment bank JP Morgan.

As 27 aircraft are set to retire this year, Southwest Airlines is set to have 833 planes in its fleet, according to Jordan. Recently, US carriers have had to reduce their fleet-growth aspirations due to delays in deliveries from Airbus and Boeing. Both planemakers cited engine shortages and obstacles in the supply chain. In addition, Boeing suffered certification issues with the 737 MAX 7 and 10 variants of its newer-generation narrowbody family and quality concerns from the US regulators with the 787 program.

Southwest Airlines, an all-Boeing 737 operator, updated its orderbook with Boeing, converting four of its 737 MAX 7 orders to MAX 8s in December and exercising 10 Max 7 options in January for delivery in 2024.

During its fourth-quarter earnings call on Jan. 26, the company revealed it had firm orders of 192 MAX 7s and 235 MAX 8s, plus options for 137 MAX 7s or 8s. The budget carrier's current fleet consists of 772 airliners in service and 48 in storage.