| Considered by many to be the most successful airline in the history of aviation, Southwest Airlines has grown from four aircraft in 1971 to a fleet of over 500 737s operating 3,300 flights per day. The airline carries more passengers – 96 million in 2006 – than any other in the world. Financial results for 2006 represented its 33rd consecutive year of profitability. Southwest is known for its simple and straightforward approach to operations. Its fare structure also reflects the “keep it simple” philosophy while its marketing mirrors the fun loving and sometimes quirky nature of its founder. Quick turns help it maintain high aircraft utilization that maximizes productivity of its gates, employees and aircraft. RNP offers Southwest a new way to improve on its highly regarded efficiencies. With over 280 737-700s that are RNP capable and plans to upgrade the remaining 737 classic fleet the airline will realize numerous benefits including fuel savings and reduction of operational variance. Naverus was first retained by Southwest to perform an RNP Readiness Assessment. During this project the full realm of RNP possibilities was explored as well as a framework for the requirements to create a company-wide program. Having been presented with more information, Southwest carefully evaluated the business case and decided to proceed with a multi-year RNP project. Since then, Naverus has been assisting the airline with RNP project planning and program development. Once policies, procedures and training materials have been established, Southwest will apply to the FAA for RNP operational approval. After Southwest’s receipt of RNP authorization it will proceed with deployment of Naverus Tailored RNP procedures throughout its network of 64 airports. | 
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