Southwest Airlines Chairman, President and CEO Gary Kelly says it would be “fantastic” if the airline could find a way to retire the Boeing 717s that were part of its AirTran Airways acquisition before their leases expire, but adds that there is no deal in the offing.

Southwest earlier made clear it does not plan to keep the 88 aircraft when their leases expire, between 2018 and 2024, but seemed to be sending conflicting signals in early September, when it alluded to a possible deal with Boeing to get rid of them earlier (Aviation Daily, Sept. 8).

In a conference call on Oct. 20 to discuss the carrier's third-quarter earnings, Kelly reiterated the desire to drop the aircraft type and said, “If we had an opportunity that was affordable for us to accelerate the retirement of the 717s and replace them with 737s, that would be fantastic.”

But Kelly also added that Southwest does not have that alternative right now. “We’re talking to Boeing about a whole variety of things, and that would be one,” Kelly said. But he also said, “The odds are you are going to see those aircraft operated for Southwest for quite some time.”