This news is for all of those aircraft enthusiasts out there: Boeing, a multinational aircraft designer and manufacturer, just rolled out the newest addition to their 737 MAX jetliner series: The 737 MAX 9, at its assembly plant at Renton, Washington. It’s body is about 138 feet long, which is longer than its MAX 7 and MAX 8 predecessors, and can support up to 220 passengers. It has the shortest maximum distance of the MAX family though, with a range of 3,510 nautical miles (4,040 miles, 6,500 kilometers), though it isn’t that far behind. Still, the company hopes to expand its range to 3,605 nautical miles (4,149 miles, 6,676 kilometers) After 2021.
Source: Seattle Times
Like its other 737 MAX sisters, the 737 MAX 9 is a new and improved version of the 737 classic variant, the 737-900. It has a better airframe and more efficient CFM International LEAP-1B engines. These smaller than average jets open up more possibilities to new airlines routes, especially the ones that are longer in distance, but lower in demand.
Source: Seattle Times
The first MAX 9 jet is expected to take flight by April or May of this year. Boeing isn’t stopping here, however, as they have announced the 737 MAX 10 that will roll out by the end of 2017. Experts worry though that putting two similar jetliners so close to each other’s release date would tighten the competition between each other and another alternative jetliner, the A321 neo, by Airbus. The competition is already so tight between the 2 that Airbus’ neo jetliner series has around 5,000 of their planes ordered, whilst the MAX series has only about 3,600 orders. That may be a lot for both companies already, but if you compare the two, the MAX series has sold poorly compared to the neos. It seems that Boeing’s plan of releasing the MAX 10 so soon is a plan to hopefully boost their sales.
Source: Popular Mechanics
However, experts say this move is counterproductive. “I worry about differentiation between the MAX 9 and the MAX 10” says John Plueger, chief executive of Air Lease Corp. in an interview. “If the MAX 10 comes out, the MAX 9 has challenges.” agrees Aengus Kelly, chief executive of AerCap. “On the MAX 10, Boeing knows it’s at a slight disadvantage, but price can close the gap,” Kelly adds. Well, whatever may happen, people are just glad that the classic 737 jets are back and better than ever.
Article Sources:
