Southwest’s fleet and safety notes

Southwest is adding more Boeing 737 Max 8s even as federal regulators investigate a reported near-miss involving two of its jets near Nashville. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) (newschannel5.com) The airline said on April 22 that it expects about 66 Boeing 737-8 deliveries in 2026 and plans to retire about 60 aircraft. Southwest ended the first quarter with 800 aircraft in service. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) Southwest also reported first-quarter operating revenue of about $7.2 billion, up 12.8% from a year earlier, with net income of $227 million and operating margin of 4.6%. The quarter ended March 31, 2026. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) Those fleet numbers matter because Southwest still flies a single-aircraft-family strategy built around the Boeing 737. The company says it serves 118 airports across 11 countries, so delivery timing and retirements directly affect how much flying it can shift between markets. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) Southwest is already reshaping that network. In the same earnings release, the airline said it will suspend operations at Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles in June and move that capacity to stronger-performing markets. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) The safety investigation centers on an April 18 incident near Nashville International Airport. NewsChannel 5 reported that Southwest Flight 507, a 737 Max 8 arriving from Myrtle Beach, went around instead of landing and then received air traffic control instructions that turned it toward Southwest Flight 1152, a 737-700 departing for Knoxville. (newschannel5.com) The Federal Aviation Administration said both flight crews responded to onboard alerts after Flight 507 “received instructions from air traffic control that put the flight in the path of another airplane that was departing from a parallel runway.” The agency said it is investigating the event, which occurred around 5:30 p.m. local time. (newschannel5.com) NewsChannel 5 said the aircraft crews reacted to Resolution Advisories from the Traffic Collision Avoidance System, the onboard warning system that tells pilots when to climb or descend to avoid another aircraft. Air traffic recordings cited by the station indicate the controller quickly changed altitude instructions after the conflict developed. (newschannel5.com) So Southwest’s April update landed with two timelines at once: a 2026 fleet plan built on more Max 8 deliveries, and an active Federal Aviation Administration review of how two Southwest flights came too close over Nashville. (southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com) (newschannel5.com)