08:05 AM EDT, 09/10/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Southwest Airlines ( LUV ) said Tuesday that Executive Chairman Gary Kelly is voluntarily stepping down effective after the company's 2025 annual meeting.

The airline also said that six directors will voluntarily step down and will leave following Southwest's ( LUV ) November board meeting. The six directors leaving the board are David Biegler, Veronica Biggins, Roy Blunt, William Cunningham, Thomas Gilligan, and Jill Soltau.

Southwest ( LUV ) also said Bob Jordan has the board's "unanimous support" as chief executive officer.

Southwest ( LUV ) added that its board expects to name four independent directors in the near future, and that the board refresh will reduce the number of board members to 13 after November's board meeting and then to 12 after the 2025 annual meeting.

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