Thousands of Boeing employees in Renton Tuesday marked another milestone in the evolution of the 737 – the completion of final assembly of the first 737 MAX 8, named the Spirit of Renton.
The 737 MAX 8 rolled into the paint hangar on Nov. 30, the exact date in the development schedule defined four years ago, and emerged with a special teal version of the Boeing livery.
Next, the Spirit of Renton, written in script under the cockpit window, will continue to undergo pre-flight preparation in the Renton plant, before heading over to Clayton Scott Field at the airport to continue flight-readiness testing, according to a Boeing news release.
The airplane is on track for first flight in early 2016. The launch customer is Southwest Airlines
The 737 MAX family has nearly 3,000 orders from 60 customers worldwide, according to Boeing.
“Today marks another in a long series of milestones that our team has achieved on time, per plan, together,” said Keith Leverkuhn, vice president and general manager, 737 MAX, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, in the news release.
“With the rollout of the new 737 MAX – the first new airplane of Boeing’s second century – our team is upholding an incredible legacy while taking the 737 to the next level of performance,” he said.
With the second and third 737 MAX 8 flight test airplanes currently in final assembly and the fourth (and final) in sub-assembly, the 737 MAX remains on track for first delivery to Southwest Airlines in the third quarter of 2017, according to the release.
The new single-aisle airplane will deliver 20 percent lower fuel use than the first Next-Generation 737s and the lowest operating costs: 8 percent per seat less than the Airbus A320neo.
The 737 MAX incorporates the latest technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Boeing-designed Advanced Technology winglets and other improvements to deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market, according to the release.
The 737 MAX 8 is the first member in Boeing’s new family of single-aisle airplanes – the 737 MAX 7, MAX 8, MAX 200 and MAX 9 – to begin production.
