(The Center Square) – Southwest Airlines announced it will add its 12th crew base in Nashville during the second quarter of 2024. The base will have between 150-250 pilots and 500-700 flight attendants.
The state did not announce if it will be giving the airline any incentives related to the announcement.
“Hundreds of Southwest Employees who work in the air and on the ground already consider their hometown to be in Middle Tennessee, with our presence in Nashville remaining a key factor to our success, future growth, and the reliability of our network,” Southwest Airlines Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson said in a statement.
Southwest has flown out of Nashville’s airport since March 18, 1986, with eight daily nonstop departures to Chicago Midway and Houston Hobby. Southwest’s presence in Nashville has grown to operate more flights and serve more air passengers as the largest carrier at BNA, offering up to 166 departures a day to 57 cities nonstop, and currently housing nearly 1,000 Southwest employees.
“As a top global travel destination and business hub, Tennessee is the ideal location for Southwest Airlines’ newest Crew Base, and we look forward to the continued economic investment, job creation for newly based jobs and opportunity this expansion will bring for Tennesseans across the region,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said in a statement.
— Jon Styf, The Center Square