Southwest retires the 737 Classic

Southwest Airlines (US) retires the 737 classic

N300SW "The Spirit of Kitty Hawk"

If all goes according to schedule, at 11:35PM today, Central Daylight Time, Southwest's final 737-300 flight (due to be operated by N632SW) will arrive at Dallas Love Field, and a significant chapter of this airline and aircraft will come to a close.

September 29th 2017...Southwest, the launch customer for the 737-300, and the largest operator, will retire it's remaining 737 classics after 33 years of service. First delivery was November 30th 1984, two days after USAir took delivery of the first 737-300. Southwest was also the launch customer for the 737-700 and the latest 737 MAX 8, of which it is has now received eight, prior to service entry October 1st.

Southwest launched service with 737-200s in 1971, receiving four new aircraft from June. One was sold a year later as the new airline struggled to make traction. But that is a distant memory now, as the perennially profitable Southwest has both survived and thrived as the first low cost carrier in the world. Operating short domestic point to point services, with one aircraft type, the airline did things it's own way.

Boeing 737-3H4 N300SW MSN 22940 L/N 1037 F/F 8/15/94 Delivered 11/30/84

The first of 150 new 737-300 deliveries to Southwest, N300SW operated between late 1984 and retirement 4/28/11 at the "Flight of Frontiers" Museum at Dallas Love Field.

In new colors...landing LAX October 2009, two years from retirement

By 1990, Southwest's 737-300 fleet had risen to 48 units. Apart from 1988, when 13 aircraft were delivered, the annual delivery totals until 1993 were in single digits. But from 1993 onwards, a much more aggressive delivery schedule was adopted, with 13 in 1993, 18 in 1994, 23 in 1995, 22 in 1996 and 15 in 1997, when all 150 aircraft deliveries were completed. 1997 also saw the first three (of 363) Southwest 737-700s delivered that December.

Used aircraft were also acquired, 4 in 1991 and 1992, 2 in 1993, 5 in 1994, 2 in 1995, 5 in 1998 and 4 in 1999. This brought the fleet to it's high point of 195 aircraft, as of January 1st 2000. One aircraft was damaged beyond repair in an overrun at Burbank Airport, California March 5th 2000, and the fleet total thereafter remained at 194 aircraft 2001 to 2007. One aircraft was removed from service by 2008, and thereafter the fleet total began modest declines annually, reaching 176 by 2010, 120 by 2015, 87 by 2017, and in the final month of service, 32 at the beginning of September.

The majority of the retired aircraft have been sent to storage yards including Marana, AZ, Tuscon, AZ and Victorville, CA and most are expected to be parted out. A few newer aircraft may see onward sales.

Two liveries were primarily used, the initial Southwest brown and orange 'classic' livery, essentially unchanged since the airline commenced operations in 1971, and the 2000 blue, orange and yellow livery. Both can be seen above on N300SW. Southwest's latest current livery was applied to ten -300s, and these can be seen in the photographs below. In addition, special liveries were applied to five aircraft, also seen below.

N334SW "Seaworld"

N352SW "Lone Star One"

N354SW with retrofitted winglets. 102 Southwest 737-300s received this upgrade

N355SW new colors

N356SW new colors

N358SW new colors

N361SW new colors

N369SW new colors

N383SW "Arizona One"

N609SW "California One"

N640SW new colors

N643SW new colors

N644SW new colors

N647SW "Triple Crown"

N654SW new colors

N655WN new colors

N668SW withdrawn from use following being damaged beyond repair at Burbank 3/5/00

N674AA end of the road...parted out and awaiting scrapping at Tuscon, AZ

N697SW in service at Indianapolis 11/28/16, three days before retirement

N697SW (MSN 23838 L/N 1505) was one of Southwest's used -300 acquisitions, and also the last non-winglet aircraft in the fleet when it was retired. It also has an interesting history...

N73536 TACA International Airlines

First Flight was January 26th 1988 as N73536, a model 737-3T0 built for Continental Airlines. Not taken up, it was delivered to Texas Air Corporation (then the owner of Continental) 3/2/88 and immediately sold to lessor Polaris Aircraft Leasing and leased to El Salvador's TACA International Airlines.

Shortly after delivery in May 1988, the aircraft suffered a double engine failure (due to water ingestion) while descending for landing at New Orleans. Unable to re-start the engines, the captain successfully made a remarkable "dead stick" landing on a grass flood bank next to a river (levee) without any serious injuries among the passengers and crew. The aircraft received temporary repairs on site and a few days later took off from the grass bank for full repairs and return to service.

N75356 on the levee grass bank following double engine failure near New Orleans

In October 1989 N75356 was transferred to TACA's affiliate Guatemala based Aviateca, where it operated  until April 1991.

The aircraft was then leased to America West Airlines as N319AW between April 1991 and September 1992.

N764MA Morris Air. Salt Lake City based Morris Air (David Neeleman's first airline venture) operated the aircraft for 18 months between January 1993 and June 1994, when the airline was acquired by Southwest.

N697SW operating in Southwest's classic colors

N697SW in it's final color scheme. The aircraft arrived at Marana, AZ for storage December 2nd 2016, where it is expected to be permanently retired and scrapped.

Southwest's retirement of the 737-300 will leave just two passenger configured 737-300s in service in the US, operated by charter airline Swift Air.

Other 737 classics that remain in passenger service in the US include two 737-500s with Sierra Pacific, while 737-400s remain in service with Alaska Airlines (7) [until October 18th], Miami Air International (1), Xtra Airways (7) and Swift Air (8).