The largest aircraft in the 737 MAX family, completed a successful first flight. The aircraft took off from Renton Field in Renton, Washington, at 10:07 a.m. and landed at 12:38 p.m. at Boeing Field in Seattle.
The flight, watched by dozens of employees but virtually no visitors as Boeing sought to downplay the event, showcased a revamped landing gear system illustrating an industry battle to squeeze as much mileage as possible out of the current generation of single-aisles.
"The aircraft performed beautifully," said 737 Chief Pilot Capt. Jennifer Henderson. "The profile we flew allowed us to test the aircraft systems, flight controls and handling qualities, all of which checked out exactly as we expected."
Today's flight was the start of a comprehensive test program for the 737-10. Boeing will work closely with regulators to certify the aircraft prior to its scheduled entry into service in 2023.
"The 737-10 is an important part of our customers' fleet plans, giving them more capacity, greater fuel efficiency and the best per-seat economics of any single-aisle aircraft," said Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Aircraft. "Our team is committed to delivering an aircraft with the highest quality and reliability."
The 737-10 can carry up to 230 passengers. It also incorporates environmental improvements, cutting carbon emissions by 14% and reducing noise by 50% compared to today's Next-Generation 737s. Boeing’s 737 Max 10, the largest member of its best-selling single-aisle aircraft family, took off on its maiden flight on Friday, in a further step toward recovering from the safety grounding of a smaller model.
The first flight heralds months of testing and safety certification work before the jet is expected to enter service in 2023.
Boeing must now complete safety certification of the plane under a tougher regulatory climate following two fatal crashes of a smaller 737 Max version that grounded the model for nearly two years – with a safety ban still in place in China.
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