Boeing 737 MAX Receives FAA Certification

The first aircraft in the Boeing 737 MAX series received FAA certification today clearing the way for summer deliveries to reported launch customer Southwest Airlines. The 737 MAX 8 will, depending on seating configuration, carry 162 to 200 passengers on routes up to about 3,000 nautical miles. That’s comparable with the 737-800, but Boeing says customers can expect to save 14% in fuel consumption mostly due to redesigned winglets and incorporation of the CFM International LEAP-1B engines, which have been in development since 2008.

On Tuesday, Boeing also rolled out its first 737 MAX 9, the larger sibling in the growing MAX family with a capacity of 220 passengers and a range of 3,500 nautical miles. Ground testing of the new MAX 9 will begin in the coming weeks followed by an FAA flight test certification program. Boeing expects the MAX 9 to enter service in 2018.

Boeing already has orders for more than 3,600 737 MAX aircraft from 83 different customers ensuring production of these jets well into the next decade. Courtesy of AVweb.