The Complete Guide To The Boeing 737 MAX Family
Since entering service with Lufthansa more than 57 years ago in February of 1968, the Boeing 737 has become a common sight at airports located all around the world. According to the latest data from the US manufacturer, almost 12,000 737s have been produced across all variants to date, with the type loved in equal measure by low-cost and full-service airlines as well as military and private users.
Boeing has produced four generations of its popular narrowbody family: the 737 Original (737-100 and 737-200), the 737 Classic (737-300, 737-400, and 737-500), the 737 Next Generation (737-600, 737-700, 737-800, and 737-900), and the 737 MAX. The latter of these, which is the newest of the four generations, consists of four main variants and one sub-variant, which we will now explore in greater detail in order to get a complete picture of the 737 MAX family and its status today.
Boeing 737 MAX 7
The smallest of the variants that make up the MAX family is the MAX 7, which, according to the US planemaker, first flew in March of 2018. However, for a multitude of reasons that we shall explore in greater detail shortly, the type is yet to enter commercial service. With a length of 116 feet and 8 inches (35.56 meters), the MAX 7 sits between the last generation's 737-700 and -800 models in terms of size.
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In terms of its other specifications, the Boeing 737 MAX 7 is said to have a typical two-class seating capacity of 153 passengers (145 economy class seats and eight in first class), while its exit limit sits at 172. With a range of 3,800 NM (7,000 km), it is the best performer in the MAX family by this metric, and, combined with its smaller size, this makes it an ideal fit for lower-demand medium-haul air routes.
In terms of orders for the Boeing 737 MAX 7, the future of the type largely lies in the hands of US-based budget operator Southwest Airlines . Indeed, according to current data made available by ch-aviation, the blue-clad operator has ordered some 294 examples of the type, compared to just four at Luxair, and two at Ruili Airlines and SkyUp Airlines. There are also 28 'unassigned' orders on the list.
Various factors have contributed to the fact that, despite having first flown some seven years ago, the 737 MAX 7 is still yet to enter commercial service. In the years that immediately followed its first flight, Boeing had other challenges on its hands, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the recertification of the MAX 8 during its 20-month grounding period following two similar fatal crashes. Still, Boeing remains focused on certifying the MAX 7, and you can read more about its efforts here .
Boeing 737 MAX 8
Dimensionally speaking, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 is rather similar to the previous generation's 737-800 model, with both of these aircraft clocking in at 129 feet and 6 inches (39.47 meters) in length. These aircraft offer a useful compromise between range and capacity, and, subsequently, have become the best-sellers in their respective families. Indeed, looking at the latest data, we can see the following:
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 has a typical seating capacity of 178 passengers, with this figure comprising 12 business class seats and 166 in economy class. Much like its natural predecessor, the Boeing 737-800 from the 737 Next Generation (737NG) family, its upper limit in terms of seating capacity comes in at 189 paying guests. The MAX 8 has a range of 3,500 NM (6,500 km), and cruises at Mach 0.79.
Of the 1,314 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft that ch-aviation notes have been delivered to date, Southwest Airlines is by far the largest operator with 251 examples of the type at its disposal. It also has outstanding orders for another 190 units. Elsewhere in the US, United is also a major operator of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, with 115 in its fleet plus 11 outstanding orders. American isn't far behind, with 70 plus 30 orders.
According to current scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, airlines around the world have scheduled a grand total of 155,829 flights with their Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft this March. Collectively speaking, these services will offer grand totals of 27,850,659 seats and 30,873,152,286 available seat miles (ASMs), with Southwest Airlines sitting at the top of the pile for all metrics.
Boeing 737 MAX 8-200
For low-cost operators of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 looking to add extra capacity to their aircraft in order to carry more passengers and bring per-seat costs down, the US manufacturer has also devised a high-density version known as the 737 MAX 8-200. As you might have guessed, the '200' suffix refers to the typical capacity of such an aircraft, although its absolute upper limit sits a little higher, at 210 seats.
Photo: Jake Hardiman | Simple Flying
Much like with the move from the 737-900 to the 737-900ER in the popular twinjet's previous family, Boeing was able to achieve certification for the higher-density model by adding an additional set of exit doors towards the rear of the aircraft. This ensured that it would be able to meet regulations concerning the number of passengers per exit despite its higher capacity, with low-pitch slimline seats used.
As pictured below, Ryanair is the most notable operator of the Boeing 737 MAX 8-200, which, according to Reuters, has had three of its eight service trolleys removed in order to create further space to accommodate more passengers. The Irish low-cost carrier configures its examples of the type in an all-economy layout with 197 seats onboard, and has 116 in its fleet as well as another 35 units on order.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 is also present at two other Ryanair Group airlines, with 43 examples at Malta Air and another 16 at Buzz, its Polish arm. Elsewhere in the world, US-based ultra-low-cost carrier Allegiant Air has taken delivery of seven examples of the Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 from an order of 50, and India's Akasa Air has received four from an order of 104. Meanwhile, Arajet and Vietjet Air have yet to receive any aircraft from their respective orders of four and 100 737 MAX 8-200s.
Boeing 737 MAX 9
Moving up in size, at 138 feet and 4 inches (42.16 meters) long, the Boeing 737 MAX 9 is almost identical in length to the previous generation's 737-900 model, which clocked in at 138 feet and 2 inches (42.11 meters) in lengthy. The MAX 9 was the second variant of the family to enter service, and, having first flown in April 2017, the first production example was delivered to its customer in March 2018.
A typical two-class layout for the 737 MAX 9 consists of 193 seats, split between 16 passengers in business class and 177 paying guests in economy class. Much like the previous generation's 737-900ER model, the presence of an additional set of exit doors towards the rear of the plane allows a maximum capacity of 220 passengers. As far as performance is concerned, it has a range of 3,300 NM (6,100 km).
Data from ch-aviation shows that Boeing has delivered a total of 244 examples of the 737 MAX 9 to customers located around the world, and the US planemaker has outstanding orders for another 213 units of the type. United Airlines is the largest operator, with 90 aircraft, and it also has the largest order book, with 130 more units expected. Alaska Airlines (73 plus seven orders) is another key operator.
This month, data from Cirium shows that the users of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 have scheduled 21,810 flights with the type, with these services collectively offering grand totals of 3,905,600 seats and 6,195,103,531 available seat miles. United tops all of these metrics, followed by Alaska Airlines, with other high rankers including the likes of Aeroméxico, flydubai, Copa Airlines, and Turkish Airlines .
Boeing 737 MAX 10
The 737 MAX 10 is the largest of the family's variants, clocking in at a length of 143 feet and 8 inches (43.79 meters). Despite being around 3.5 meters shorter, the type is something of a natural successor to the popular 757-200 narrowbody, with a typical two-class capacity of 204 passengers (16 business class seats and 188 in economy class). Its upper limit of 230 puts it just below the Airbus A321neo.
The stretched-fuselage Boeing 737 MAX 10 is also yet to enter service, as it faces similar issues and delays to the aforementioned short-fuselage 737 MAX 7 variant. The aircraft has a range of 3,100 NM (5,700 km), and despite its slow development and certification process, it has managed to secure three-figure orders from major airlines around the world, such as Pegasus, Ryanair, and the US 'Big Three.'
Airline Captain B737-800 NG & MAX-8 | Sharing Insights to Help Future Pilots Start Their Careers
5 天前Fast to read and nice to learn. Thank you.
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6 天前The 737 is two generations in the sinking sand. Moving from a cigar engine to a high bypass style engine should have been a sign or writing on the wall. The 757 was a great potential replacement airframe, but the logic behind the single-type airlines was forcing something 2 deep long in the tooth, behind the NG and Max. The Yellowstone project was meant to be a clean slate design for the 3 market segments; however, we only got 1 out of them. We are left with late 1950 tech and 1990 tech in the 4th gen 737 and 2nd 777, respectively. The Boeing Sonic Cruizer was a brave design, akin to the Dash80. Boeing needs to break the mould of boring. Focus on product innovation before the share price.