In a filing, Boeing confirmed that it will not make any deliveries of the 737-7, the smallest 737 MAX variant, before the end of this year.
Even before the grounding of the 737-8 and 737-9 in 2019, Boeing’s smaller 737-7 was already undergoing flight testing. So when these variants re-entered service late in 2020, many in the industry expected the smaller 737 MAX variant to join them in a matter of months.
This didn’t happen. Most of the stories around the certification and deliveries of the MAX centered around the larger, newer 737-10, not the 737-7. This relative lack of interest is in part because there are relatively few orders for the smaller aircraft.
Southwest is the launch customer for the 737-7, with more orders from customers like Allegiant and WestJet. Earlier this year, sources within Southwest revealed that the airline was not expecting any 737-7 deliveries this year. At the very least, the airline didn’t expect to put any 737-7s in service before 2024.
737-7 Deliveries Coming Next Year
An SEC filing from Boeing made the above official this week. Officially, the reason for these delays mainly involves more stringent FAA requirements for certification documentation. The regulator also oversees more certification tasks directly, whereas previously it delegated much more of this work to Boeing employees.
Both the FAA and Boeing have needed time to adjust to the new process. Beyond the certification and deliveries of the 737-7 and 737-10, new certification requirements are also slowing down the introduction of the 777-9.
Southwest also has orders for 737-8s, so it has been swapping delivery dates between the two variants until the 737-7 becomes available. A 737 generation ago, Southwest was the launch customer of the 737-700. The airline still has a lot of these planes, that the 737-7 is slated to replace.
Beyond 737-7 certification and deliveries, more eyes remain on the larger 737-10. Boeing still expects the FAA to start certification flights of this aircraft before the end of the year. The manufacturer hopes to start deliveries of the larger variant before the end of 2024. Originally, the 737-10 was supposed to enter service in 2020.
Boeing also restated this week that it is transitioning to a monthly 737 production rate of 38 aircraft, up from 31. The manufacturer reportedly hoped to bump this up further, to 42 aircraft. But last month, Boeing would not commit to achieving this monthly output in 2023.
