Por Eric M. Johnson
SEATTLE, US, Jun 18 (Reuters) – Boeing Co’s 737 MAX 10, the largest in the US manufacturer’s family of single-aisle jets, took off on its maiden flight on Friday, a further step in the recovery of the aircraft. safety issues that left a smaller model on the ground.
The plane departed in the morning from Renton Municipal Airport, near Seattle, under clear blue skies, opening up what will be months of testing and safety certifications before it enters service in 2023.
In an unusual public relations shift surrounding early flights, the event was deliberately kept low-key as Boeing tries to circumvent overlapping crises caused by 20 months of immobilization following two crashes and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boeing’s 230-seat 737-10 is designed to bridge the gap between its 178-220-seat 737-9 and Airbus’s 185-240-seat A321neo, which dominates the top of the aircraft market. narrow cabin, which represents about 3.5 billion dollars in business in 20 years.
However, the market opportunity for the 737 MAX 10 is limited by the range of the aircraft, which is 3,300 nautical miles (6,100 kilometers) and falls short of 4,000 nautical miles from the A321neo.
In addition, Boeing must complete the aircraft’s safety certification in a stricter regulatory context, after two fatal crashes of a smaller version of the 737 MAX grounded the model for nearly two years, with a safety ban still in effect in China.
Boeing has made design and alignment changes to the MAX family, which returned to operation in the United States in December.
The smaller MAX 8 is Boeing’s fastest-selling aircraft. Slower placements for the MAX 9 and 10 have put Boeing at a disadvantage compared to the A321neo. (Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle Additional reporting by Tim Hepher Edited in Spanish by Javier López de Lérida)
–
