Boeing 737 MAX

The Boeing 737 MAX is a series of narrow-body aircraft developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes as the fourth generation of the Boeing 737. It succeeds the Boeing 737 Next Generation and incorporates more efficient CFM International LEAP engines, aerodynamic improvements such as split-tip winglets, and structural modifications. The program was announced in August 2011, the first flight took place in January 2016, and the aircraft was certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in March 2017. The first delivery, a MAX 8, was made to Malindo Air in May 2017. The 737 MAX series includes four main variants—the MAX 7, MAX 8, MAX 9, and MAX 10—with increasing fuselage length and seating capacity. Boeing also developed a high-density version, the MAX 200, launched by Ryanair. The aircraft typically seats 138 to 204 passengers in a two-class configuration and has a range of 3,300 to 3,850 nautical miles [nmi] (6,110 to 7,130 km; 3,800 to 4,430 mi). As of June 2026, Boeing has delivered 2,360 aircraft and held orders for 4,846 more. The MAX 8 is the most widely ordered variant, while the MAX 10 has not yet received FAA certification, and the agency has not provided a timeline for its approval. Its primary competitor is the Airbus A320neo family, which occupies a similar market segment. Two fatal accidents, Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019, led to the global grounding of the 737 MAX fleet from March 2019 to November 2020. The crashes were linked to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which activated erroneously due to faulty angle of attack sensor data. Investigations revealed that Boeing had not adequately disclosed MCAS to operators and identified shortcomings in the FAA's certification process. The incidents caused significant reputational and financial damage to...