Boeing flying high on 3,700 orders for 737 MAX aircraft

KUALA LUMPUR: Boeing Commercial Airplanes is confident that its 737 Max programme will thrive on some 3,700 firm orders received from 86 global customers to date.

Vice president/chief project engineer and deputy program manager of the 737 MAX Programme, Michael Teal said the new aircraft was the fastest selling in Boeing’s history.

“The new range, 737 MAX 7, 737 MAX 8, 737 MAX 9 and 737 MAX 10X, are doing very well in the market, and we expect more orders soon, given the fact that the new aircraft can fly further and faster at a lower maintenance cost,” Teal told a telephone conference with Asia-Pacific media on the Boeing 737 Max programme yesterday.

The MAX 8 is expected to be the best selling model, making up between 75 to 80 per cent of orders as the seat cost was eight per cent lower and had a bigger passenger capacity, he said, adding, these criteria would appeal to low-cost carriers.

Boeing completed flight testing for the MAX 8 in February this year, received amended type certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in March and poised for its first delivery in May.

Teal said the highest range in the programme, the MAX 10X, had been of interest to customers from China as it offered the best single-aisle cost per seat in the airline industry.

“We are already working with our potential customers and the MAX 10X will be ready for delivery by 2020, depending on demand from the industry,” he added.

On maintenance cost, Teal said the goal is to sustain the same pricing with the Boeing NextGeneration 737 programme, but there might be a small difference of between US$1 and US$2 per hour, given its larger engine.

“However, this can be offset with the aircraft’s ability to reduce fuel consumption by up to 20 per cent when compared to the Next-Generation 737,” he added. — Bernama