Why Southwest Airlines Can’t Fly All Of Its Boeing 737 MAX 8s Over The Pacific

Simple Flying

The Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 is fully capable of long overwater flying in the right configuration, but that does not mean, on the fundamentals alone, that every MAX 8 in the fleet can simply be scheduled across the Pacific at will. The key issue is Extended-Range Twin-Engine Operational Performance Standards (ETOPS), the regulatory framework that governs twin-engine operations beyond a set diversion time from a suitable airport.

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