The single-aisle market benefits from the Boeing 737 MAX's increased efficiency, improved environmental performance, and increased passenger comfort. The type delivers outstanding economics, decreasing fuel use and pollutants by 20% while producing a 50% smaller noise footprint than the aircraft it replaces.
Maximum efficiency
The 737 MAX 8 reduces fuel use and CO2 emissions by an additional 14 percent over today's most fuel-efficient single-aisle airplanes – and 20 percent better than the original Next-Generation 737s when they first entered service.
Boeing estimates that the average 737 MAX 7 aircraft would seat anywhere between 138 to 153 passengers. The MAX 8 would seat between 162 to 178 passengers, while the MAX 9 would seat 178 to 193 passengers, depending on the configuration.
Because of the sheer intensity of the scrutiny the aircraft faced, the Boeing 737 MAX could be considered one of the safest in the world. In fact, among the dozens of models of commercial airliners around the world, it is likely the safest due to the amount of regulation testing that took place.
The Boeing 737 MAX is heavier than the 737NG and has more fuel-efficient engines and new winglets.
Since then the aircraft has been referred to as both the 787 and the Dreamliner. The naming convention that Boeing now applies to its aircraft such as the 787, which comes in the 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10, will also be applied to the 737 MAX.
The 737-800 is a member of the Next Generation family, and is itself the most produced of the Next Gen models, with nearly 5,000 civilian deliveries between 1998 and 2019. Among the 737 MAX family, the 737 MAX 8 is the 737-800's most direct replacement, although 787-800s are still widely operated.
The 737 MAX 8 entered service in May 2017, and the MAX 9 entered service in March 2018. Deliveries for MAX 7 and MAX 200 (a higher-density version of the MAX 8) were initially expected to begin in 2021, and the MAX 10 in 2023.
Both the NTSB and France's Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis agreed with the Ethiopian agency's conclusion that the design of Boeing's new flight control software that repeatedly pushed the jet's nose down — the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS — was a major cause of the accident.
The FAA ultimately grounded the MAX on March 13, 2019 and lifted the flight prohibition order in November 2020 after Boeing made a series of software upgrades and training changes.
Southwest maintains the largest Boeing 737 MAX fleet, though the Ryanair Group is close to knocking the US low-cost carrier from the top.
The 737 MAX is a fourth-generation successor to the Boeing 737 NG (Next Generation) line of aircraft. The very first 737 was unveiled more than 50 years ago, on Jan. 17, 1967. The 737 MAX 8 has a maximum range of 3,550 nautical miles (6,570 km / 4,082 miles).
Boeing 737-700, -800 and MAX 8
No Entertainment Programme is available on board a Boeing 737. After takeoff you can use your own smartphone or tablet during the flight. On board the Boeing 737-MAX 8 you can charge these devices with the USB charging outlet in your seat.
While the best seat can be subjective, seats with the most legroom are often the most coveted. These seats include the bulkhead seats (row 1), the exit row seats, and the window seats behind the exit row door (seat 12A on the Boeing 737-700 and seats 16A and 16F on the Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737 MAX 8).
The cabin is amenity-heavy, featuring TV screens, in-seat power, and Bluetooth.
Virgin Australia has announced four additional Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft will join its fleet with delivery starting in the second half of 2023, increasing capacity in line with the airline's fleet growth program and journey towards Net Zero.
Qantas has 75 174-seat 737-800s and 20 100-125 seat 717s. The shortlisted replacement aircraft are the Boeing 737 MAX, Airbus A320neo, at the higher capacity end, and the Airbus A220 and Embraer E-195 E2 with smaller capacity.
While passengers can always choose not to get on a plane if they feel unsafe, the two major US airlines that have 737 MAX 8 planes are not grounding those aircraft or changing their standard flight cancellation, change or refund policies.
Utilizing the International Civil Aviation Organization safety occurrence data, from 2008 to 2019, these aircraft were compared in terms of occurrence type, occurrence category, phase of flight, injury level, and fatalities. It was found that Boeing had more accidents than expected, while Airbus had less (p = 0.015).
Note: There are 2 versions of this aircraft. The 737 MAX 8 operates in a two-class configuration of 20 Premium Economy Class seats and 156 Economy Class seats.
The Max 8 is nearly 130 feet long and the Max 10 will be 143 feet. 8 inches long. The new Max 10 has the characteristic of other long-fuselage such as the 757-300 and rival Airbus' old A340-600 (one of the longest aircraft in history) and A321.
As of March 2022, there has been a total of 503 aviation accidents and incidents involving all 737 aircraft, including 219 hull losses resulting in a total of 5,717 fatalities. The 737 first entered airline service in February 1968; the 10,000th aircraft entered service in March 2018.
In MAX, the latest construction solutions have been combined with technology proven in Dreamliner aircraft. New engines are quieter and more efficient, giving MAX longer range and lower environmental impact. MAX has better aerodynamics than its predecessors.
Fancy a near 4,000-mile B737 MAX 8 flight? (Gol's longest MAX route is third.) Photo: Nathan Coats via Wikimedia.