The first Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 was photographed by keen observers as it rolled out of the shop at Boeing’s Renton facility over the weekend. The new plane should arrive at Malaysia’s national airline in August. Malaysia Airlines placed a firm order for 25 Boeing 737 MAX 8s in 2016 along with options for a further 25 aircraft. The airline stated in a statement from 2017 that the new 737 MAX aircraft were bought to replace the current 737-800 aircraft, and that delivery would start in 2019. The statement did, however, disclose a new agreement that gave the airline the option of selecting either the MAX 8 or 10 for 10 of the 25 737 MAXs that were bought.
It has taken a while for the first MAX 8 to appear.
The optimistic 2017 announcement predicted that the MAX 10 would be delivered in the early part of 2021, but no one could have predicted the 737 MAX program’s eventual demise at that point. Fast forward to last year, when Malaysia Airlines signed a contract for long-term leases on the 25 brand-new MAX 8 aircraft it had initially ordered from Boeing with industry leader Air Lease Corporation. Here is the first aircraft, which was delivered seven years after the order was placed.
When the first of the 25 737 MAX 8s rolled out of Boeing’s paint shop on Saturday, it had the registration 9M-MVA. Despite having a new tail design, it still sports the well-known Malaysia Airlines jalur gemilang livery. The tail livery has a non-slanted red and blue wau insignia that is now covered in a songket pattern, claims the website Soyacincau.com.
The narrowbody fleet renewal is now in progress.
Next to the entrance is a sign with the Malaysia Airlines “Sustainable Tomorrow” slogan. The satellite communications hump is clearly visible on the top of the fuselage, indicating that MAX narrowbodies will have onboard WiFi.
In order for customers to stream information from the in-flight system on some of the airline’s current 737-800s with new cabins that lack seatback screens, the in-flight entertainment system must be used by the passengers’ own electronic devices. The seats offer a secure holder for the device and USB-A and USB-C connectors.
The airline has 88 aircraft in its inventory, according to statistics from ch-aviation.com, including 10 ATR72-500 and six DHC-6-400 turboprops that are on wet lease. The remaining aircraft in the fleet are a mixture of Airbus widebody and Boeing narrowbody models, with 42 737-800s predominating and A330 and A350 models also in service. The remaining 24 737 MAX 8 aircraft will be delivered between this year and 2026.
