Boeing 737 MAX Scrapbook
A rare Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 on a short final at Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Story by Ken Kula, photos by Scott Jankowski and Ken Kula
Boeing’s most recent major redesign of the iconic 737 model is the MAX series of airliners. After a series of accidents and crashes, the type has now gained wide acceptance of its long-range capabilities and improved economics over the “NextGen” 737 versions. There are four major variants in the MAX group, the MAX 8 was the initial version delivered, followed by the MAX 9. The Max 10 and Max 7 were still in the certification process in early 2026, but the Max 7 was certified in August 2026, and the Max 10 certification should follow closely. Here’s a look at the Boeing 737 MAX jets:
American Airlines MAX 8 at Chicago O’Hare International Airport
The first operational version of the MAX was the MAX 8 version, which first flew on January 29, 2016. Standard seating is for around 189 passengers, depending upon an airline’s seating arrangements. Maximum range is 3,500 nautical miles, Southwest Airlines operated the largest fleet of MAX 8s in 2023, with over 200 airframes in service.
Boeing developed a higher density seating version, known as the MAX 8-200, with seating up to 210 passengers in a single-class layout. The Max 8-200 sub-variant has additional two emergency exits between the wings and tail to handle the increase in passengers, similar to the larger MAX 9. There are barely a half dozen operators of the -200 series; Europe’s Ryanair was the launch customer and is the largest operator of the sub-variant.
One of United Airlines’ MAX 9s arrives during golden-hour lighting at Boston, Massachusetts
The second version of the MAX jets to become operational is the MAX 9. Capable of seating up to 220 passengers, it too has improved economics and cruising range over the previous Next Gen 737 versions. A pre-production jet made its first flight on April 13, 2017… fourteen months after the MAX 8.
The Max 10 will seat up to 230 passengers and will be the largest MAX variant. Sources state that this largest of the MAX variants could be certified for service before the end of 2026 too.
Versions of the MAX 7, 8 and 9 are being offered as Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) as well, offering very long range and exceptional comfort and space.
Boeing has recently opened a fourth final assembly plant in Everett, Washington to catch up with the backlog of MAX orders. Total orders for the four 737 MAX jets have exceeded 7,000 airframes; the total would have been for more than 8,000 jets by now if the highly publicized crashes of a pair of MAX 8s hadn’t occurred… leading to the cancellation of over 1,000 additional airliner orders during the subsequent several years of recertification of the MAX airliners.
