Southwest Airlines Co., the largest operator of Boeing Co.’s 737 Max, said the model’s grounding amid safety concerns will combine with soft demand from leisure travelers to shave $150 million off first-quarter revenue.
The amount is on top of a $60 million reduction from the U.S government shutdown earlier in the period, Southwest said Wednesday. The Max groundings, bad weather and reduced productivity during contract negotiations will together force the cancellation of 9,800 flights in the three months, it said.
Southwest, which has 34 Max jets in its 750-strong fleet, said in a statement that it can’t predict the financial impact of the grounding beyond this quarter. Gains in unit revenue, a measure of fares, will also be limited to 2 to 3 percent, down from earlier guidance of up to 4 percent, the discounter said.
Costs for each seat-mile flown will rise 10 percent, up from the previously estimated 6 percent, and capacity growth will slow to 1 percent from the anticipated 3.5 to 4 percent.