Denny
Boeing 737 Max 9 in the news again!
Boeing 737 Max series planes have been grounded!
Again!!
The narrow-body single aisle airplane has often landed Boeing in trouble earlier as well.
In 2018 and 2019, two Boeing 737 Max 8 jets crashed killing 346 people.
The first crash happened in October 2018 when Lion Air Flight 610 crashed 13 minutes after takeoff. All 189 people died on board.
No one cared!
Till another Boeing 737 Max 8 fell out of the sky.
This time, in March 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed and ended another 157 lives.
Three days after the second crash, whole of the world grounded all Boeing 737 Max airplanes they had in their fleet.
As per the official website
Boeing 737 MAX 9
offers up to 14 percent lower airframe maintenance costs than the competition.
What happened with Alaska airlines will surely increase the airframe maintenance cost of the Boeing 737 Max 9 it was flying. Luckily there was no fatality. The plane landed safely , though as an emergency landing, at the same airport it took off from, Portland in Oregon.
The last time the Boeing 737 Max planes were in the spotlight the fault was zeroed in upon a faulty software.
For a detailed report on that crash and what caused it do read the article by David Perell.
Anyways!
You came here to find if the plane you are flying tomorrow or day after or maybe next week is / is not a Boeing 737 Max 9?
so here is a list of airlines that are still operating the Boeing 737 Max 9 planes .
| Airlines | Max 8 | Max 8 200 | Max 9 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United airlines | 74 | 79 | 153 | |
| Ryanair | 131 | 131 | ||
| Alaska airlines | 63 | 63 | ||
| American airlines | 56 | 56 | ||
| Fly Dubai | 51 | 3 | 54 | |
| AeroMexico | 33 | 18 | 51 | |
| GOL | 42 | 42 | ||
| Air Canada | 40 | 40 | ||
| TUI Group | 38 | 38 | ||
| WestJet | 32 | 32 | ||
| Turkish Airlines | 20 | 5 | 25 |
You can be sure that even if you are flying in these airlines, except Alaska Air , you in all probability will not be boarding a Boeing 737 Max series plane. Well, if the world has learnt anything from the previous two disasters that is.
But still, check with your operator. You never know!
Boeing 737 Max: When was it first launched?
The Boeing 737 Max series plane was announced in August 2011( though it was not a completely grounds up new aircraft. Details of this can be read from a marvelously written article by David Perell) and took its maiden flight on January 29, 2016. It was certified by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in March 2017. The first delivery of Max 8 was done in May 2017 to Malindo Air.
About the Boeing 737 MAX 9 series
The 737 MAX delivers
enhanced efficiency
improved environmental performance
increased passenger comfort
to the single-aisle market.
Incorporating advanced technology winglets and efficient engines, the 737 MAX offers excellent economics, reducing fuel use and emissions by 20 percent while producing a 50 percent smaller noise footprint than the airplanes it replaces.
Additionally, 737 MAX offers up to 14 percent lower airframe maintenance costs than the competition. Passengers will enjoy the Boeing Sky Interior, highlighted by modern sculpted sidewalls and window reveals, LED lighting that enhances the sense of spaciousness and larger pivoting overhead storage bins.
Why are the Boeing 737 Max planes suffering from these snags?
Ane answer: Outdated design and Cost Cutting.
To understand why these airplanes crashed and one could have crashed today as well, if not for some divine intervention, we need to look back how the 737 Max came into existence.
The original 737 was introduced in 1967 when most airports were small and lacked infrastructure so manufacturers were obliged to manufacture low-to-the-ground airplanes which were having easy-to-reach engines, which could be serviced easily thus reduced operating costs.
And that’s exactly what Boeing gave the airlines.
The 737 Max’s structure resembles the original 737. The big difference is the engines are larger ( and placed much ahead than their original 1967 location thus putting the plane at a risk of a stall, if not for some software that prevents the nose going up during low speed maneuver) the fuselage is bigger, and “winglets” were added to the tip of the wings to improve fuel efficiency.
Who all are still flying the Boeing 737 Max series ?
As of today all the Boeing 737 Max 9 series planes have been grounded by most airlines and some have even ordered the review of the emergency door sections of the Mx 8 series planes as well.
The future of Boeing 737 Max Planes?
This incident might just be the last nail in the coffin of the ailing Boeing 737 Max 9 planes as these incidences have laid bare the major shortcomings in the design of the aircraft.
After a few catastrophic events and a few near misses its high tim ethe world took notice.
Although having an immaculate history of safe flights The Boeing 737 Max series planes’ now hangs in the balance.
They have enough orders from almost all the major airlines in the world for the next few years.
But soon, Boeing will have to go to the drawing board for its next aircraft.
