Boeing 737 MAX 8 completes first flight

The 737 MAX completed a 3 hour flight, taking off from Renton Field in Washington and conducting flight tests in the air, before landing safely at Seattle's Boeing Field. The maiden flight is the first of a comprehensive flight-test program the aircraft must complete before it receives safety certification and is delivered to airlines for service.

The first 737 MAX unveiled in December "Today's first flight of the 737 MAX carries us across the threshold of a new century of innovation – one driven by the same passion and ingenuity that have made this company great for 100 years," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and Chief Executive Officer Ray Conner. "We are tremendously proud to begin testing an airplane that will deliver unprecedented fuel efficiency in the single-aisle market for our customers." The first 737 MAX 8 is expected to be delivered to Southwest Airlines in the third quarter of 2017. 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 flight testing. The 737 MAX will extend the Next-Generation 737 range with the capability to fly more than 3,500 nautical miles. Boeing has 2,072 orders for the 737 MAX family from 62 customers worldwide.

Boeing 737 MAX 7, 8 and 9