#boeing737max

Boeing 737-9 MAX Alaska Airlines

Registration: N913AK Type: 737-9 Engines: 2 × CFMI LEAP-1B Serial Number: 44079 First flight: Jun 26, 2019

Alaska Airlines — one of the major U.S. air carriers — has placed its bet on the Boeing 737 MAX series, with deliveries beginning in January 2021. As of today, the airline operates 94 aircraft of this series in both currently available variants: the MAX 8 and MAX 9, each serving its own role within the route network.

However, Alaska Airlines' relationship with the 737 MAX was overshadowed by a serious incident. On January 5, 2024, a door plug blew out mid-flight on board Flight 1282, at an altitude of approximately 5,000 meters. The aircraft made an emergency return to Portland; none of the 177 people on board were injured. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the cause was four bolts that had not been installed during factory assembly. Responsibility was shared between Boeing, supplier Spirit AeroSystems, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Boeing paid the airline approximately $160 million in compensation.

Despite the incident, Alaska Airlines did not abandon the MAX series. In 2025, the airline signed the largest order in its history: 105 of the latest 737-10 aircraft, which are currently in the testing phase. In total, the order book stands at 174 aircraft from the 737 MAX family.

There has also been a thaw on the regulatory side: in October 2025, the FAA authorized Boeing to increase monthly production of the 737 MAX from 38 to 42 aircraft, confirming the manufacturer's progress in addressing identified deficiencies. Alaska Airlines, for its part, continues to invest in fleet modernization. The airline is putting $130 million into upgrading its existing 737-800s, bringing their interiors in line with the standards of the new MAX aircraft.

The Boeing 737 MAX series has become the backbone of Alaska Airlines' fleet. Despite the challenges, the airline continues to favor these aircraft, seeing them as the future of its route network — from Alaska to Latin America.

Avolon re-profiled elements of its orderbook to better align with market conditions.

Avolon Drops Order for 75 Boeing 737 MAX and Four A330neo

Boeing 737-8 MAX Singapore Airlines

Registration: 9V-MBO Type: 737-8 Engines: 2 × CFMI LEAP-1B27 Serial Number: 44259 First flight: Jun 20, 2022

The relationship between Singapore Airlines and the Boeing 737 resembles a three-act drama: a rapid beginning, prolonged oblivion, and an unexpected renaissance. The airline, renowned for its impeccable image as a wide-body operator, has twice possessed narrow-body aircraft—and both times it happened through circumstance rather than choice.

In September 1972, when Malaysia-Singapore Airlines split into two independent carriers, Singapore Airlines inherited five narrow-body Boeing 737-100s. For several years, the new carrier operated a small fleet of this type. However, from the very start, the airline committed to wide-body aircraft and chose a strategy as a premium long-haul carrier. Regional route development was not part of its plans, and by 1980, all 737-100s had been transferred to American carrier Air Florida.

For the subsequent forty years, Singapore Airlines demonstrated a rare adherence to the "wide-bodies only" philosophy. Regional operations were delegated to subsidiary SilkAir with its fleet of 737-800s and A320s. It seemed the path back to narrow-body aircraft had been rejected forever.

But in May 2021, history took an unexpected turn: SilkAir was absorbed by its parent company. Singapore Airlines suddenly inherited a fleet of fifteen 737s once again: nine Boeing 737-800s and six 737-8 MAXs. SilkAir had planned to rapidly replace the older 800s with new MAXs, but the global grounding of the MAX following two crashes disrupted the original plans. Singapore Airlines continued the fleet renewal.

Now, five years later, Singapore Airlines operates 20 Boeing 737-8 MAXs on regional routes. The fleet serves 26 destinations and operates approximately every fourth flight for the airline. In October 2025, the last 737-800 completed its final flight from Kathmandu, concluding the transition period. The new MAXs received comfortable lie-flat seats in business class, WiFi, and entertainment systems—the standard this carrier holds so dear.

The future of the narrow-body fleet is cautiously optimistic. In May 2023, Singapore Airlines reduced its 737 MAX order from 29 to 21 aircraft, the last of which is expected to join its fleet during the current year. In Asia, there is sustained demand for regional operations, and even a premium operator cannot entirely ignore the economics of narrow-body aircraft.

Thus the Boeing 737, once banished from the fleet, has found a home again under the Singapore Airlines flag—and this time, it appears, for the long term.

Boeing 737-8 MAX Sunwing Airlines

Registration: C-FMXA Type: 737-8 Engines: 2 × CFMI LEAP-1B27 Serial Number: 43297 First flight: May 3, 2018

Sunwing Airlines Inc. is a Canadian low-cost airline headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Sunwing Airlines offers scheduled and charter services from Canada and the United States to destinations within the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America in the winter months. During the summer months, the company offers domestic services across Canada. It is a subsidiary of WestJet, and its main Canadian bases are Montréal–Trudeau International Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport. Sunwing delivered its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 on May 25, 2018.