Because of the sheer intensity of the scrutiny the aircraft faced, the Boeing 737 MAX could be considered one of the safest in the world. In fact, among the dozens of models of commercial airliners around the world, it is likely the safest due to the amount of regulation testing that took place.
The ultimate Boeing 737 MAX question is always, 'is it safe now? '. The answer to that is a resounding yes. The plane has been described as one of the most scrutinized aircraft in aviation history, with authorities like the FAA, EASA, and many more taking a very close look at the plane.
After much modification and extensive testing, Boeing returned with the Max for re-certification. I met an aviation enthusiast last week, and he asked me a direct question, “Is the Boeing 737 Max Safe?” My immediate answer was, “Of course it is!
The Boeing 737 MAX has had its fair share of troubles since it entered service but has been safely flying since December 2020, with hundreds of units in the sky every day.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 is a new plane that had its first flight in January 2016. Despite its short time on the market, the MAX 8 has been involved in two tragedies in fewer than five months: the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash on March 10, 2019, and the Lion Air Flight JT 610 crash on Oct. 29, 2018.
Boeing's 737 Max suffered two fatal crashes, in 2018 and 2019, that were shown to be caused by a design flaw and led to a global grounding of the aircraft. Those crashes resulted in the 20-month grounding of the 737 Max, costing Boeing tens of billions of dollars.
Boeing disclosed a production problem with two fittings in the aft fuselage. The manufacturer and the FAA said it doesn't affect flight safety but it will delay deliveries of the best-selling plane. Southwest Airlines and American Airlines are among the airlines expecting new Max aircraft.
The move away from the MAX name has been a subtle process and Boeing has begun to use the name 737 MAX and 737-8(7 through 10) interchangeably. This way they are transitioning away from the MAX name toward the normal naming convention of modern Boeing aircraft.
The low-cost carrier currently holds the -700, -800, and MAX 8 variants of the 737. According to Planespotters.net, this fleet has an average age of 12.4 years. It is the latter two variants that keep this number low. The -800s have an average age of 5 years, while the MAX 8s have an average of just 2.5 years.
The 737 MAX 8 entered service in May 2017, and the MAX 9 entered service in March 2018. Deliveries for MAX 7 and MAX 200 (a higher-density version of the MAX 8) were initially expected to begin in 2021, and the MAX 10 in 2023.
Despite a healthy order book and recovery from the earlier grounding, the problems are not over for Boeing and the 737 MAX. Most notably, two of the 737 variants - the 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 - are still to receive certification. These were given a lifeline in late 2022 with a certification waiver from US Congress.
According to Boeing, the MAX 8's theoretical range is 4,085 miles (6,574km), although the real-world limit will be less.
Boeing estimates that the average 737 MAX 7 aircraft would seat anywhere between 138 to 153 passengers. The MAX 8 would seat between 162 to 178 passengers, while the MAX 9 would seat 178 to 193 passengers, depending on the configuration.
Because of the sheer intensity of the scrutiny the aircraft faced, the Boeing 737 MAX could be considered one of the safest in the world. In fact, among the dozens of models of commercial airliners around the world, it is likely the safest due to the amount of regulation testing that took place.
Boeing claims that the 737-8's 189-passenger maximum capacity is feasible in a single-class cabin with seats that have a 29- or 30-inch pitch. The -8 can accommodate 162-178 passengers in a two-class arrangement, and the -9 can accommodate 178–193 passengers.
While the best seat can be subjective, seats with the most legroom are often the most coveted. These seats include the bulkhead seats (row 1), the exit row seats, and the window seats behind the exit row door (seat 12A on the Boeing 737-700 and seats 16A and 16F on the Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737 MAX 8).
Comparing the 737 MAX 8 directly to the 737-800 on numbers alone, it quickly becomes evident that the newer MAX series has a longer range and the ability to carry an extra 18 fare-paying customers in a two-class setup. The MAX 200's high-density layout also allows it to hold more passengers than one-class 737-800s.
The advanced wing airfoil design provides an economical cruise speed of . 789 Mach (530 mph) – compared to . 745 Mach for earlier 737 models. The Next-Generation 737 airplanes are capable of cruising to a maximum altitude of 41,000 feet, compared to 39,000 feet for the competition.
The Max was allowed to fly again in late 2020 after Boeing made changes to the plane, including to MCAS, the flight control system behind the crashes.
In March 2019, Chinese aviation authorities instructed airlines in the country to ground all their Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, citing the need for “strict control of safety risks.” The decision followed two 737 Max 8 crashes in Ethiopia in 2019 and Indonesia in 2018.
The MAX resumed commercial flights in the U.S. in December 2020, and was recertified in Europe and Canada by January 2021.
The MAX has now been so thoroughly reviewed by regulators and reworked by Boeing that it should be considered incredibly safe. Additional pilot training requirements should help instill even more confidence in the airplane, but it's hard to shake the feeling of fear that many travelers will encounter in the near term.
Utilizing the International Civil Aviation Organization safety occurrence data, from 2008 to 2019, these aircraft were compared in terms of occurrence type, occurrence category, phase of flight, injury level, and fatalities. It was found that Boeing had more accidents than expected, while Airbus had less (p = 0.015).
The next-lowest-priced plane, the 737 MAX 8, boasts a cost of $121.6 million. Boeing has created a higher-density version of the MAX 8, known as MAX 8-200, that costs $124.8 million. The MAX series also contains the MAX 9, at $128.9 million, and the mAX 10, at $134.9 million.