Boeing 737 MAX

The Boeing 737 MAX is the fourth major generation of the Boeing 737, a family of twin-engine, narrow-body airliners. Developed from the 737 Next Generation, it combines CFM International LEAP-1B engines with aerodynamic, flight-deck and systems changes while retaining a common 737 type-rating lineage.^{[1]737 MAXBoeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details[2]How Does the FAA Certify Aircraft?Federal Aviation Administration · faa.gov · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

Development and entry into service

Boeing formally launched the programme in August 2011 as a re-engined development of the 737 Next Generation. The company pursued an amended type certificate based on the 737 NG rather than certifying an entirely new type; the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) states that Boeing applied for certification in January 2012 and that the process took about five years.^{[3]2013 Annual ReportBoeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details[2]How Does the FAA Certify Aircraft?Federal Aviation Administration · faa.gov · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

The first 737-8 flew from Renton on 29 January 2016. Boeing delivered the first production aircraft to Malindo Air on 16 May 2017, and the airline placed the type into commercial service on 22 May on a Kuala Lumpur–Singapore flight.^{[4]Boeing Completes Successful 737 MAX First FlightBoeing · boeing.mediaroom.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details[5]Boeing, Malindo Air Celebrate First 737 MAX DeliveryBoeing · boeing.mediaroom.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details[6]Boeing in MalaysiaBoeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

Design

The MAX preserves the basic 737 fuselage cross-section and low ground clearance while introducing the larger-fan LEAP-1B engine. Its nacelles are mounted farther forward and higher than those of the 737 NG. The family also introduced Boeing's split-tip Advanced Technology winglet, a reshaped tail cone, revised systems and four 15-inch flight-deck displays.^{[7]737 MAX by designBoeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details[8]737 MAX Airplane Characteristics for Airport PlanningBoeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

The LEAP-1B is the only production engine offered for the family. Boeing's airport-planning manual classifies the MAX as FAA Airplane Design Group III and ICAO Code C, allowing it to use broadly the same airport stands and taxiways as earlier 737 generations.^{[8]737 MAX Airplane Characteristics for Airport PlanningBoeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

Flight-control changes

The Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) was introduced as part of the MAX's speed-trim functions to help provide the required handling characteristics in particular high-angle-of-attack, manual-flight conditions. Following the 2018 and 2019 accidents, the return-to-service configuration changed flight-control-computer software, added safeguards against erroneous MCAS activation, introduced an angle-of-attack disagree alert, revised procedures and training, and required sensor tests and an operational-readiness flight for stored aircraft.^{[9]Boeing 737 MAX Reading RoomFederal Aviation Administration · faa.gov · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details[10]Summary of the FAA's Review of the Boeing 737 MAXFederal Aviation Administration · faa.gov · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

Variants

Boeing also markets business-jet derivatives. The high-density 737-8-200 uses an additional pair of mid-cabin exits to support its higher certified seating capacity. Published range and seating figures are planning values; an airline's certified layout and operational range depend on weight options, interior, reserves and route conditions.^{[1]737 MAXBoeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details[8]737 MAX Airplane Characteristics for Airport PlanningBoeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

The FAA granted an amended type certificate for the 737-7 on 3 August 2026. Boeing reported that 737-10 flight testing had completed in July 2026 but that development-assurance reviews, system-safety assessments and regulatory submissions were still being closed out.^{[11]FAA certifies 737-7Boeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details[12]737-10 completes final certification flightBoeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

Specifications

All variants have a published wingspan of 35.9 m (117 ft 10 in) and a height of 12.3 m (40 ft 4 in). Boeing publishes maximum take-off weights ranging from 80,280 kg (177,000 lb) for the 737-7 to 89,760 kg (197,900 lb) for the 737-10. These are family comparison figures rather than limits for every individual aircraft; certified weights vary with model and customer option.^{[1]737 MAXBoeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

Production, orders and deliveries

The 737 MAX is assembled at Renton, Washington. Boeing reported an order book of more than 7,200 aircraft and 2,360 deliveries through the end of June 2026. These figures change as orders are booked, cancelled, reclassified and delivered, so Boeing's orders-and-deliveries data should be used for the latest totals.^{[11]FAA certifies 737-7Boeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

Operators

The first operator was Malaysia's Malindo Air, which subsequently adopted the Batik Air Malaysia brand. Boeing states that more than 100 customers have placed firm orders for the family. The operator base includes network, low-cost, leisure and lessor customers; individual fleet totals and aircraft status should be taken from current operator or regulator records rather than inferred from historic order announcements.^{[5]Boeing, Malindo Air Celebrate First 737 MAX DeliveryBoeing · boeing.mediaroom.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details[1]737 MAXBoeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

Southwest Airlines was preparing to receive the first 737-7s following that variant's August 2026 certification. The 737-8, 737-8-200 and 737-9 were already in airline service, while the 737-10 had not yet entered commercial service.^{[11]FAA certifies 737-7Boeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details[12]737-10 completes final certification flightBoeing · boeing.com · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

Accidents, grounding and return to service

Lion Air Flight 610, a 737-8 registered PK-LQP, crashed into the Java Sea on 29 October 2018, killing all 189 people aboard. Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a 737-8 registered ET-AVJ, crashed near Bishoftu on 10 March 2019, killing all 157 aboard. The investigations identified combinations of technical, certification, maintenance, operational and human-factor issues; erroneous angle-of-attack data and repeated MCAS commands were central to both accident sequences.^{[13]Lion Air Flight 610 final reportKomite Nasional Keselamatan Transportasi · knkt.go.id · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details[14]Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 final reportEthiopian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau · bea.aero · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details[10]Summary of the FAA's Review of the Boeing 737 MAXFederal Aviation Administration · faa.gov · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

Civil aviation authorities grounded the MAX after the second accident. The FAA issued its US emergency prohibition on 13 March 2019 and rescinded it on 18 November 2020 after a 20-month review, but each aircraft and operator still had to complete mandated modifications, maintenance and training before returning to service.^{[15]Boeing 737 MAX timelineFederal Aviation Administration · faa.gov · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details[16]FAA Updates on Boeing 737 MAXFederal Aviation Administration · faa.gov · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

On 5 January 2024, a mid-exit door plug separated from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a 737-9, shortly after take-off. The FAA temporarily grounded affected 737-9 aircraft for inspections and maintenance and halted expansion of MAX production. In its 2025 final findings, the US National Transportation Safety Board attributed the separation to Boeing's inadequate training, guidance and oversight of factory workers and issued further recommendations to Boeing and the FAA.^{[17]FAA Halts Boeing MAX Production ExpansionFederal Aviation Administration · faa.gov · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details[18]Boeing's Inadequate Training, Guidance and Oversight Led to Mid-Exit Door Plug BlowoutNational Transportation Safety Board · ntsb.gov · Accessed 2026-08-29Open source details}

Related aircraft

• Boeing 737 — the wider aircraft family of which the MAX is the fourth generation

• Airbus A320 family — the principal competing narrow-body family

Sources

• 737 MAX family — Boeing

• 737 MAX airport planning manual — Boeing

• The Boeing 737 MAX certification — Federal Aviation Administration

• Summary of the FAA's review of the Boeing 737 MAX — Federal Aviation Administration

• Lion Air Flight 610 final report — Komite Nasional Keselamatan Transportasi

• Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 final report — Ethiopian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, hosted by BEA

• Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 findings — National Transportation Safety Board