But Don’t Worry… A New Southwest 737 in classic colors is Being Painted Soon!
These are the final days to see the ‘classic’ Southwest Airlines colors on a Boeing 737-700. Southwest plans to retire the final Boeing 737-700 in the ‘classic’ paint scheme later this month. When Southwest first started, they were known for their mustard yellow paint scheme. These jets plied the skies offering a unique paint scheme, quick turns, and low fares. At one time, founder Herb Kelleher once even referred to them as his “red bellied warriors.”
In 2001, Southwest introduced a new paint scheme known as Canyon Blue. The purple-ish colored jets still had a red belly. At the time, Southwest said they would maintain three jets in classic colors to honor founding members of the airline. The jets maintained the classic scheme albeit with a gold finish instead of the typical mustard yellow.
Over time, Southwest painted N792SW (as seen above) in their latest “heart” paint scheme that was introduced in 2016. Southwest then retired the plane dedicated to Herb Kelleher (N711HK) earlier this year. Now, the classic jet dedicated to Southwest co-founder and former CEO Colleen Barrett (N714CB) will be retired soon as well. Soon there will be no 737-700s in the ‘classic’ scheme.
Don’t worry, the ‘classic’ livery will soon be back
For any avgeeks who were about to cry from the news, take heart. Southwest plans to reintroduce the ‘classic’ livery later this year on a brand new Boeing 737-MAX8. The new jet will be the first special livery on a MAX jet. It will be dedicated to Southwest’s founder and former CEO Herb Kelleher. Some avgeek chatter has mentioned that the last ‘classic’ scheme lacked the white outlines on each window. Hopefully Southwest’s paint team will add back the white outline on the passenger windows to be true to the original.
Colleen Barrett will also receive a new dedicated jet. Her jet will remain the only aircraft in the 2001 Canyon Blue scheme. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We’ll post them as soon as they are spotted.