Southwest Airlines Boeing 727-200

Additional Information:

The Boeing 727 is a narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavier 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flights from smaller airports. On December 5, 1960, the 727 was launched with 40 orders each from United Airlines and Eastern Air Lines. The first 727-100 rolled out on November 27, 1962, first flew on February 9, 1963, and first entered service with Eastern on February 1, 1964. The only trijet aircraft to be produced by Boeing, the 727 is powered by Pratt & Whitney JT8D low-bypass turbofans below a T-tail, one on each side of the rear fuselage and a center one fed through an S-duct.

Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas, Texas, began operations in 1971 as an intra-state air carrier flying solely within the state of Texas using 122-seat Boeing 737-200 jets. After the airline deregulation act was passed in 1978, Southwest was allowed to venture beyond the borders of Texas and began service to Albuquerque on April 3, 1980 with four daily flights to the Love Field Airport in Dallas. Southwest quickly expanded adding new flights to El Paso, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Denver and within three years had become the largest carrier at the Albuquerque Sunport.

For a short time in 1984 and1985, Southwest deviated from their all 737 aircraft fleet and operated a handful of Boeing 727-200’s while waiting on delivery of the new next generation, 137-seat, Boeing 737-300 aircraft that arrived in early 1985.

One of Southwest’s Boeing 727-200 N406BN aircraft made a stop the Albuquerque Sunport in June of 1984.

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