Southwest postpones delivery of 67 Boeing 737 Max jetliners

New York

SOUTHWEST Airlines Co will postpone the delivery of 67 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft by as much as six years, pushing US$1.9 billion of spending on planes into the next decade.

The airline also plans to accelerate six 737-800 orders to next year from 2018 to help cover the already announced early retirement of its oldest 737s. The moves are the second shakeup of Southwest's aircraft order book since 2013 and were unveiled in a presentation to investors on Thursday.