First flown in 1967, Boeing Co.’s 737 has become the world’s best-selling commercial aircraft. The fourth generation of 737s — known as the 737 Max — made its debut in 2017 when Indonesian discount carrier Lion Air became the first commercial operator. Yet two fatal crashes within five months — Lion Air flight 610 in October off the coast of Indonesia and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 in March outside Addis Ababa — have put the 737’s previously sound safety record under the microscope.
1. Which airlines have purchased the 737 Max?
Plenty, but most orders have yet to be fulfilled. As of January, Boeing reported that it had delivered 350 of the single-aisle jets to 46 airlines. In total, orders from more than 80 operators exceed 5,000 planes. Most sales are Max 8, the model involved in both crashes. (There’s also, from smallest to biggest, a Max 7, 9 and 10.) The main operators include Southwest Airlines (31 in the fleet), American Airlines (22) and Air Canada (20). Norwegian Air, FlyDubai and several Chinese carriers also operate them.
