Followed the grounding of almost two years, last month aviation safety agencies in the USA and Brazil have recertified the Boeing 737 MAX series for commercial service.
The first flight took place on January 29, 2016, nearly 49 years after the maiden flight of the original 737-100, on April 9, 1967.
The Boeing 737 MAX first entered commercial service with Malaysian airline Malindo Air in May 2017.
Less than two years later, aviation safety agencies grounded the type worldwide following two accidents that bore striking parallels and subsequently raised serious questions concerning the type’s safety.
The crashes of Lion Air flight 610 (October 2018) and Ethopian Airlines flight (March 2019) resulted in 346 fatalities.
As a result of these crashes, almost everyone has heard of the Boeing 737 MAX, but how many variants are there?
Variants
The 737 MAX is a fourth-generation Boeing 737, re-engined with CFM LEAP-1B turbofans.
The 737 MAX series has been offered in four variants, offering 138 to 204 seats in typical two-class configuration and a 3,215 to 3,825 nmi (5,954 to 7,084 km) range.
- MAX 7 – 138-153 (two-class) / 172 (maximum).
The Boeing 737 MAX 7 does not look like becoming as commercially successful as its larger counterpart. Boeing announced in 2018 that it was only expecting the MAX 7 to represent around 10% of all MAX series orders.
- MAX 8 – 162-178 (two-class) / 210 (maximum).
This model was actually built for Ryanair and is specially configured as a high-density variant known unofficially as the MAX-200.
- MAX 9 – 178-193 (two-class) / 220 (maximum).
- MAX 10 – 188-204 (two-class) / 230 (maximum). This is the longest of all the variants.
The 737 MAX 7, MAX 8 and MAX 9 are intended to replace the 737-700, -800, and -900, respectively.
Some of the orders
As of December 2019, the Boeing 737 MAX had received 4,932 firm orders and delivered 387 aircraft.
WestJet has placed orders for the type’s MAX 7, MAX 8, and MAX 10 variants. Of these, it has already taken delivery of 13 MAX 8 aircraft. The deliveries of its 22 ordered MAX 7 aircraft had initially been planned for 2021.
Ryanair is set to take delivery of the specially-configured high-density MAX 200.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is the world’s largest low-cost carrier by revenue. It has ordered a correspondingly large number of 737 MAX series aircraft, totaling 280 aircraft. Of these, 30 are the smaller MAX 7 variant, with the remaining 250 being MAX 8s. To date, the airline has taken delivery of 34 MAX 8 aircraft.
Delta is presently the only big three US airline without the MAX, while JetBlue is also another American airline that do not have any MAX orders, preferring the Airbus family instead.
IAG had signed a letter of intent for 200 MAX aircraft.
Qantas is just one example of an airline currently operating older 737s that may turn to the MAX to replace them later on.
In South Africa, COMAIR already has the MAX, but will more orders follow, and will other Southern African carriers follow suite?
Another question is: Will the MAX’s reintroduction to commercial service prompt other carriers to place new orders for the type?
Time will tell…
