The Boeing 737 MAX is the fourth generation of the Boeing 737, a narrow-body airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, a division of American company Boeing. It succeeds the Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) and competes with the Airbus A320neo family. The new series was announced on August 30, 2011.
The 737 MAX suffered a recurring failure in the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), causing two fatal crashes, Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, in which 346 people died. It was subsequently grounded worldwide from March 2019 to November 2020, with the FAA garnering criticism for being the last major authority to ground it. Investigations faulted a Boeing cover-up of a defect and lapses in the FAA’s certification of the aircraft for flight.
As of October 2023, the five largest operators of the Boeing 737 MAX were Southwest Airlines (207), United Airlines (145), Ryanair Holdings (126), Alaska Airlines (62), and American Airlines (54).
Southwest is the world’s largest operator of the Boeing 737 and was the launch customer of the 737-300, 737-500, and 737-700.
American Airlines was the first disclosed customer. By November 17, 2011, there were 700 commitments from nine customers, including Lion Air and SMBC Aviation Capital.
By December 2011, the 737 MAX had 948 commitments and firm orders from thirteen customers.
On September 8, 2014, Ryanair agreed to 100 firm orders with 100 options.[219] In January 2017, aircraft leasing company GECAS ordered 75.
By January 2019 the 737 MAX had 5,011 firm orders from 78 identified customers, with the top three being Southwest Airlines with 280, flydubai with 251, and Lion Air with 251.
The first 737 MAX 8 was delivered to Malindo Air on May 16, 2017.
Following the groundings in March 2019, Boeing suspended all deliveries of 737 MAX aircraft, reduced production from 52 to 42 aircraft per month, and on December 16, 2019, announced that production would be suspended from January 2020 to conserve cash.
At the time of the grounding, the 737 MAX had 4,636 unfilled orders valued at an estimated $600 billion. Boeing produced over 450 MAX aircraft awaiting delivery, about half of which are expected to be delivered in 2021, and the majority of the remainder in 2022.
By November 30, 2020, at the time of the ungrounding, the unfilled orders stood at 4,039 aircraft.
In November 2021, during the Dubai Airshow, Boeing received 72 firm orders from a new 737 MAX customer, India-based Akasa Air, to be fulfilled over a 4-year period with the first delivery in June 2022.
In late January 2022, Boeing was working to clear the remaining inventory of 335 MAX aircraft and estimated most of them would be delivered by the end of 2023.[106] In December 2022, the 1000th 737 MAX was delivered.
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