Before the opening of the 2017 Paris Air Show, the Boeing 737 Max 9’s pilots must validate their flying display for show officials, providing an early opportunity to see it in the air.
The Boeing 737 Max 9 makes its air show debut barely two months after its first flight from its narrowbody manufacturing facilities in Renton, Washington, where it marked the start of a flight test program schedule to end in certification and delivery early next year. The largest of the now four-member Max family, the Max 9 incorporates a fuselage that extends 138 feet 4 inches – almost nine feet longer than that of the now in-service Max 8 variant – while featuring the same wingspan at 117 feet 10 inches.
In spite of its greater length, increased maximum takeoff weight (194,700 pounds) and longer range (3,280 nm), Boeing touts the Max 9 as much more economical to operate than previous generations of the 737 family, including its closest relative, the 737-900ER, which also seats 178 passengers in a two-class configuration. Boeing claims that the new Max 9 will deliver seat costs 8 percent lower than those of the rival Airbus A320neo.
Now seriously considering launching a still larger iteration of the Max family called the Max 10, Boeing expects to complete Max 9 flight testing by the end of the year. Plans call for the first production model to go to Indonesian low-fare carrier LionAir.