Sun Country Plans To Operate Its Boeing 737-800s Into Their 30s

Sun Country Airlines has outlined its fleet plan for the upcoming decades, with the airline’s chief executive saying that its Boeing 737-800 aircraft should be with the carrier for at least around another 15 years.

Fantastic aircraft

In an interview with Simple Flying at the World Aviation Festival (WAF) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Jude Bricker, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Sun Country Airlines, detailed that the airline will continue investing in the reliability of the 737-800s to keep them running.

“I mean, it is a fantastic airplane. It does have capabilities that are everything we need it to do.”

Bricker said that, for example, the 737-800s could fly Extended-range Twin-engine Operations Performance Standards (ETOPS) routes, such as those to Hawaii.

From the carrier’s base at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), Sun Country Airlines can also schedule the 737-800 to fly to Panama City Tocumen International Airport (PTY) or to airports serving the Eastern Caribbean, such as Saint Martin Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM).

“It is a very efficient airplane on a fuel burn basis. Its reliability is really stable as it ages. So I am really bullish on the 737-800 going into its 30s.”

Ch-aviation data showed that Sun Country Airlines has 44 737-800 passenger aircraft in its fleet, with an average age of 16.1 years. In addition, the airline operates 12 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters (BCF), which are, on average, 22.1 years old.

Incoming 737-900ERs

Bricker also touched on the airline’s incoming 737-900ER aircraft, with the five ex-Oman Air aircraft incoming in late 2024 and 2025, according to the carrier’s statement in April 2023.

The Sun Country Airlines CEO said that the airline will reconfigure them substantially, considering that Oman Air has two different cabin classes on the single-aisle jets.

Per ch-aviation, the aircraft are now equipped with 12 business and 171 economy class seats. Bricker stated that once the airline gets its hands on the quintet, they will essentially become a longer version of its 737-800s, with a premium economy section also being added to the 737-900ERs.

As a result, the 737-900ERs will have 200 seats instead of the current capacity of the airline’s 737-800s, which are configured with 156 economy and 30 premium economy class seats, totaling 186.

Bricker noted that the airline still has time to figure out where it would place its 737-900ERs, adding that these aircraft will fly the most stable markets in terms of their repetitiveness, since the airline needs the highest load factors and special ground operations to support them.

The CEO mentioned such destinations from Minneapolis–Saint Paul as Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), Orlando International Airport (MCO), Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), and Tampa International Airport (TPA) as some potential destinations for the five incoming 737-900ERs.

Cargo business providing flexibility and stability

At the same time, for Sun Country Airlines, cargo has become an important part of its business, even if it is a relatively recent venture.

Bricker summarized that before the pandemic, Sun Country Airlines did not have any dedicated cargo aircraft, and during the pandemic, the airline went out and got a cargo business during the pandemic. The CEO noted that its cargo business has been a profitable business unit in itself.

“But what is really effective is our ability to peak up and contract our scheduled service business without as much regard to pilot minimums and things like that because we have this very stable cargo business.”

In addition to the current squad of 12 737-800 BCFs, eight more cargo aircraft, also based on the 737-800 platform, will join its fleet starting in early 2025.

To note, Sun Country Airlines operates the narrowbody freighters on behalf of Amazon. The airline extended its air transport services agreement with the retailer until 2030 in June, with the option to extend it to 2037.

Bricker stated that Sun Country Airlines’ playbook for the next two years is already set in stone, with the eight converted freighters joining its fleet, which will restrict the carrier’s organic growth on its scheduled services.

But in the next four to five years, Sun Country Airlines hopefully continues to overperform and find markets where it can utilize its variable capacity model to replicate its success in cities other than Minneapolis, with Bricker estimating 15 to 20 other cities in the United States where the airline could swoop in and reproduce the strengths it has found in the Twin Cities.