Southwest requests approval for more international flights

Southwest Airlines on Tuesday filed with U.S. regulators asking for a permit to fly more international routes, including Europe, hinting at plans to expand its limited global network.

The carrier’s filing with the Department of Transportation seeks permission to transport “persons, property and mail” to all countries with which the United States has an open skies agreement. Those include countries across Europe, Latin America and parts of Asia and Africa.

Southwest currently flies within the U.S. and to some nearby destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America.

It said in a statement the filing was “not necessarily indicative of anything forthcoming” and that it was taking advantage of the DOT’s streamlined regulatory procedures for international authority.

The filing comes at a time when Southwest has been cutting costs and looking to streamline its organizational structure.

Southwest cut 15% of its corporate workforce in February, as part of its plan to reduce costs. This included 11 senior leadership positions. The layoffs are estimated to save $210 million in 2025 and another $300 million in 2026.

The Texas-based company had said in March it would begin charging customers for checked-in bags to lift earnings. It also ended its open seating policy last year.

In April, Southwest joined peers such as Alaska Air Group and Delta Air Lines in withdrawing its 2025 forecast as the ongoing trade war caused heightened macroeconomic uncertainty, denting Americans’ ability to spend on discretionary items such as travel.

Southwest is more vulnerable to a slowdown as it largely relies on price-sensitive leisure customers in the domestic market.

Bloomberg News first reported on the filing earlier in the day.