Jon Weaks, president of the powerful Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association (SWAPA), has sent a detailed memo to thousands of Southwest pilots affirming his belief that the Boeing 737 MAX 8 is safe to fly.
The MAX 8 has been at the center of a growing debate about the plane’s airworthiness after an Ethiopian Airlines MAX 8 crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, killing all onboard this past weekend.
The Ethiopian crash came five months after a Lion Air MAX 8 also crashed shortly after takeoff in Indonesia, also killing all on board.
Southwest is the largest carrier at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.