Boeing Quietly Rolled Out the Next MAX

When Boeing debuts a new aircraft, it is a cause for celebration and when the very first 737 MAX-10 rolled off the assembly line at Renton, WA assembly plant, it was no exception. Thousands of employees gathered to bid bon voyage to the new plane, but the company kept the festivities subdued as the aviation giant struggles to overcome the program’s stubborn regulatory and safety issues.

A Company Affair

When the first Boeing 737 MAX-10 was unveiled at a ceremony at the Renton factory on Friday, the mood was both festive and defiant. Company officials say that despite the 737-MAX program’s recent woes, there are still plenty of reasons to celebrate their most recent arrival.

“Today is not just about a new airplane. It’s about the people who design, build and support it,” Boeing VP and 737 Program Manager Mark Jenks told the gathered crowd. “This team’s relentless focus on safety and quality shows the commitment we have to our airline customers and every person who flies on a Boeing airplane.”

Business Insider reports that most of those in attendance at the tarmac ceremony were employed by Boeing. The affair was described as “low-key” when compared to past celebrations marking the debut of a new Boeing plane.

Is It Premature?

It is perhaps understandable that the U.S. aircraft manufacturer opted for a more subdued recognition of the achievement. Officials are still struggling to earn regulatory approval for the 737 Max planes to take to the sky again after being grounded around the globe following back-to-back air disasters. Restoring the faith of the flying public and airlines (which have lost millions of dollars since the planes were ordered grounded) might be an even more difficult challenge.

While the 737 Max-10 will have to wait for regulatory approval before operating as a commercial passenger plane, the first-of-its-kind plane on display on Friday will take to the air soon after its unveiling. “I’m honored to take this airplane on its first flight and show the world what you’ve put your heart and soul into,” 737 Chief Pilot Jennifer Henderson said of the plane on its inaugural journey scheduled for next year.

The 737 Max-10 is the largest plane in the 737 Max family of aircraft. According to specs provided by Boeing, the plane can seat as many as 230 passengers and offers “the lowest seat-mile cost of any single-aisle airplane ever produced.”

Boeing says that despite the well-publicized troubles facing the 737 Max program, interest in the 737 Max-10 line of planes remains strong. “The 737 MAX 10 currently has more than 550 orders and commitments from more than 20 customers around the globe,” the company said in a statement celebrating the launch.

[Image Source: Boeing]