Story ID: 033April18
Boeing 737 Max 7 Completes First Flight
By: Alexa Rexroth
Caption: Smallest variant of Max family stays airborne for more than three hours
Word Count: 447
Boeing’s 737 Max 7 flew for the first time last month, departing Renton Municipal Airport in Washington state for a three-hour and five-minute mission that saw the smallest of the new family of narrowobodies reach an altitude of 25,000 feet and a speed of 250 knots.

CFM International Leap-1B engines power the family and help reduce fuel use and CO2 emissions by at least 14 percent when compared to 737NGs. The 737 Max will also use quiet engine technology to reduce the aircraft’s operational noise footprint by up to 40 percent. According to Boeing, the Max 7 has 12 more seats and a 7 percent lower operating cost per seat than the A319neo.

“We got the benefit of flying a really beautiful airplane today,” said Boeing test pilot Jim Webb. “This is the perfect start to the test program for this aircraft. We did a low approach at Moses Lake, tested some of the safety systems and verifications, and we really completed the profile exactly as it was written.”

Asked to gauge the prospects for the airplane, Webb expressed high expectations. “I think it’s going to be a great addition to the Max family,” he said. “It is small but mighty and the performance will make a lot of customers really happy."

Southwest Airlines, WestJet, China’s Ruili Airlines, Jet Lines of Canada, and Air Lease Corporation account for the Max 7’s identified customers. It has also drawn orders from two business jet customers and one undisclosed operator. Boeing would not reveal order totals, however. “We do not discuss order numbers because we want to leave it up to our customers to pick the right model mix,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes regional director of product marketing Jeff Haber. “We do not make that information public.”

The 737 Max series boasts improved and efficient structural design, reduced engine thrust, and less required maintenance. When compared to the A320neo, the Max 8 will feature the lowest operating cost in the single-aisle market with an eight percent per seat advantage, Boeing claims. It expects Max 10 to offer the lowest seat costs ever established for a single-aisle aircraft.

Boeing delivered 74 Max airplanes in 2018 and a high-capacity Max 8 along with the first revenue Max 7 are to be delivered in 2019. The Max 10 is on track for introduction into service around 2020.

Boeing plans further testing of the aircraft in the coming weeks. Keith Otsuka, Boeing test and evaluation captain, also noted that the aircraft would begin testing for high and hot conditions in China.

 

 

 

 
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