Largest Boeing 737 MAX model takes off on maiden flight
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[June 19, 2021] By
Eric M. Johnson
RENTON, Wash. (Reuters) -Boeing Co's 737
MAX 10, the largest member of its best-selling single-aisle airplane
family, took off on its maiden flight on Friday, in a further step
toward recovering from the safety grounding of a smaller model.
The plane completed a roughly 2-1/2-hour flight over Washington State,
returning to Renton Municipal Airport near Seattle at 12:38 p.m.
The first flight heralds months of testing and safety certification work
before the jet is expected to enter service in 2023.
In an unusual departure from the PR buzz surrounding first flights, the
event was kept low-key as Boeing tries to navigate overlapping crises
caused by a 20-month grounding in the wake of two crashes and the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Boeing's 230-seat 737-10 is designed to close the gap between its
178-to-220-seat 737-9, and Airbus's 185-to-240-seat A321neo, which
dominates the top end of the narrowbody jet market, worth some $3.5
trillion over 20 years.
However, the market opportunity for the 737 MAX 10 is constrained by the
jet's range of about 3,300 nautical miles (6,100 km), which falls short
of the A321neo's roughly 4,000 nm.
Boeing must also complete safety certification of the plane under a
tougher regulatory climate following two fatal crashes of a smaller 737
MAX version grounded the model for nearly two years - with a safety ban
still in place in China.
Boeing has carried out design and training changes on the MAX family,
which returned to U.S. operations in December.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal said the company is producing
about 16 737 MAX jets a month at its Renton factory.
Boeing is working on safety enhancements for the 737 MAX 10, including
for its air data indication system and adding a third cockpit indication
requested by European regulators of the "angle of attack," a parameter
needed to avoid stalling or losing lift. Deal’s comments were provided
to the media via a pool reporter inside a Boeing aircraft delivery
center.
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Grounded Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are seen parked in an aerial photo
at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, U.S. July 1, 2019.
REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson/File Photo
"We're going to take our time on this certification," Deal said.
While the smaller MAX 8 is Boeing's fastest-selling jet, slow sales of the MAX 9
and 10 models have put Boeing at a disadvantage to the A321neo.
Boeing has abandoned plans to tinker with the 737 MAX 10 design, but is weighing
a bolder plan to replace the single-aisle 757, which overlaps with the top end
of the MAX family.
Even so, Boeing says it is confident in the MAX 10, and it is stepping up
efforts to sell more of the jet, with key targets, including Ireland's Ryanair.
Customers include United Airlines with 100 on order. Although sources say United
is weighing a new order for at least 100 or even up to 200 MAX, its requirement
for large single-aisles will be served by Airbus - reinforcing the market split.
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.
It raises the landing gear's height during take-off and landing, a design needed
to compensate for the MAX 10's extra length and prevent the tail scraping the
runway on take-off.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in SeattleAdditional reporting by Tim Hepher
Editing by Leslie Adler, Aurora Ellis, Mark Potter and Cynthia Osterman)
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