Gelonghui, January 7 | Southwest Airlines said on Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with Babcock and Brown Aircraft Management to sell and lease back 36 Boeing 737-800 aircraft. A sale and leaseback transaction refers to the Airlines selling its used or newly purchased jets to a leasing company and then renting them back for its own use. This is a method for Global Airlines to quickly raise funds and strengthen their financial status. After the pandemic, due to a shortage of new aircraft and a surge in demand and prices for jets, sale and leaseback transactions have become more popular. The airline completed the sale and leaseback of 35 aircraft at the end of December and gained $0.871 billion from it, expecting to complete the sale and leaseback of the last aircraft this month. Southwest Airlines added that this transaction is expected to reduce its cost per available seat kilometer in the fourth quarter of 2024 and for the entire year.