The production-complete airplane rolled out of the Renton factory and into the paint hangar on 30 November, the precise date determined when the MAX development schedule was defined more than four years ago. Today the freshly painted 737 MAX 8, named the Spirit of Renton, was revealed to employees in a special teal version of the Boeing livery.
After celebrations are complete, the airplane will undergo pre-flight preparation in the factory before departing for Renton Field to continue flight test readiness. The airplane is on track for its first flight in early 2016.
With the second and third 737 MAX 8 flight test airplanes currently in final assembly and the fourth (and final) in sub-assembly, the 737 MAX remains on track for first delivery to launch customer Southwest Airlines in the third quarter of 2017.
The new single-aisle airplane will deliver 20 percent lower fuel use than the first Next-Generation 737s and the lowest operating costs: 8% per seat less than the A320neo. The 737 MAX 8 is the first member in Boeing's new family of single-aisle airplanes - the 737 MAX 7, MAX 8, MAX 200 and MAX 9 - yet to begin production. The 737 MAX family has nearly 3,000 orders from 60 customers worldwide.
