Boeing Co made mistakes with its 737 MAX planes that need to be addressed, Southwest Airlines Co Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly told shareholders on Wednesday, but he said he is still hopeful that the jets grounded after two crashes will return to service in the U.S. summer.
Southwest, which only flies 737s and is the world’s largest MAX operator, has bet its growth strategy on the fuel-efficient, longer-range MAX, which was grounded worldwide in March following two deadly crashes, one in Indonesia and one in Ethiopia.
As a result, Southwest has canceled 160 daily flights through Aug. 5, hitting revenue and costs, and putting its growth plans on hold. The low-cost carrier launched service to Hawaii earlier this year but has had to defer flying there from San Diego and Sacramento because of the MAX groundings.
