Boeing has quietly rolled out the first 737 MAX 10, the biggest member of the 737 MAX family.
During an event at its Renton, Washington, factory on Friday, Boeing showcased the newest and largest member of the 737 MAX family to employees. The 737 MAX 10 is 1.64m (64 inches) longer than the 737 MAX 9 and can accommodate ten additional passengers with a maximum capacity of 230 seats.
As the type is the longest variant of the 737 to be produced, Boeing has made some modifications to the aircraft. The biggest change is a modified and telescopic main landing gear which decreases the risk of a tail strike on takeoff and landing. There were also minor changes made to the CFM Leap 1-B engine and the wings.
The Boeing 737 MAX 10 was originally launched at the Paris Air Show 2017, with United Airlines having placed the largest order of the type after it converted 100 737 MAX 9 orders to the larger MAX 10. Other customers include TUI, Lion Air VietJet Air and flyDubai. So far, Boeing has secured over 550 orders and commitments for the 737 MAX 10, the manufacturer states.
The MAX 10 is the final variant of the 737 MAX family to be rolled out, with the first flight of the type likely to happen in early 2020. Boeing hopes to deliver the first aircraft to a customer in the same year.
The 737 MAX family has been grounded worldwide by regulators since 13th March 2019, after the fatal accidents of Lion Air flight JT610 and Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302. Since the grounding, Boeing has suspended all deliveries of the aircraft and hundreds of completed aircraft remain in storage awaiting delivery to customers, as they continue to roll off the production line.
Most US operators of the type have currently suspended MAX operations until at least March 2020. With that in mind, it is possible to see the first 737 MAX 10 delivery to slip into 2021.
Jan-Hendrik is an aviation enthusiast from Germany, loves to travel the world and fly on as many aircraft as possible. His first flight was with a Condor 757 to Spain and has been interested in aviation ever since. His fields of expertise are aircraft accidents and passenger experience (PaxEx).
