Southwest Airlines Co. is in advanced talks with Boeing Co. and aircraft lessors to acquire as many as thirty 737 Max “white tails,” or new jets that have lost their original buyers, said people familiar with the matter.
Any of the aircraft that Southwest accepts from storage at Boeing would replace a similar number of the 249 planes that the airline has already ordered, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the discussions are confidential. In other words, the largest Max customer isn’t looking to pad its order book amid a market depressed by the coronavirus pandemic.
